Panthers owner Jerry Richardson recently revealed that he had a conversation with Cam Newton regarding whether or not the quarterback had any tattoos or piercings. When Newton told Richardson that he didn’t, the owner responded: “We want to keep it that way.”

This, of course, has caused a small internet uproar. From what I’ve seen and read, the public has been decidedly split on the issue. There are some who believe that at 22, Newton can do whatever he wants to his own body while others suggest that he should do what the man signing his checks asks.

What’s my take? I fall somewhere in between, although before I dive into the topic I want to point out that Richardson isn’t the first owner to mandate or suggest players display a certain image. The Yankees have been doing it for decades and I think they’ve turned out just fine. Whether you were Derek Jeter or Johnny Damon, the late George Steinbrenner made sure all Yankee players had a clean look, which included no long hair, no facial hair, and no tattoos or piercings.

The Carolina Panthers are a business establishment first and foremost. They hire employees, they fire employees, they sell merchandise and most of all: they’re in business to make money. With that in mind, Richardson has every right to tell one of his employees what he wants for a dress code. There are literally millions of businesses that instruct their employees to cover up tattoos and piercings. That’s just the way it goes. There are certain connotations that come with tattoos and businessmen and women don’t want them interfering with their ability to make money. Quite frankly, I think that’s pretty understandable.

On the other hand, Newton is a grown man and has the right to do whatever he wants to his own body. Furthermore, tattoos don’t make the man. Just because Newton gets ink doesn’t mean he’s going to turn around and steal laptops, cheat on tests or get wrapped up in an NCAA-sized scandal. (Wait…what?)

The bottom line is that Richardson has every right to tell his employees how they should dress in the work place. That said, the general rule when it comes to tattoos is that you can have them, but they must be covered up. If Richardson wants the new face of the franchise not to have any tattoos, I think that’s a bit extreme. But if Richardson wants Newton to cover up any tattoos he may get in the future, I don’t think that’s unreasonable. (Of course, there’s the issue about why Newton can’t show his tattoos and other Panthers can, but that’s a topic for another day.)

Personally, if someone were paying me $22 million I’d have no problem steering clear of tattoo parlors until I was done playing. Hell, for $22 million I’d dress up like Big Bird everyday if someone wanted me to – and have a smile on under that big ass costume while I was doing it.

Details are starting to emerge about what Panthers owner Jerry Richardson said to Peyton Manning in a CBA meeting a day before the Super Bowl that got the Colts’ QB and NFLPA so riled up.

Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports has the details:

Richardson treated the Colts’ quarterback like a dimwitted child. After Manning questioned the financial urgency of the owners’ request in the absence of documentation – a common union refrain – Richardson became agitated and dismissive while lecturing the player about the risks that their employers assume.

“He was condescending to Peyton,” said one player who was at the meeting. “He tried to talk about P&L [profit and loss] statements and all these other risks that the owners assume, as if Peyton didn’t know anything. Drew interrupted and said, ‘All we’re doing is just asking you to show us your books. We want to negotiate in good faith.’”

Said another player who was present: “We were so pissed. Peyton was breathing heavily, and some of us were about ready to jump across the table.”

As one perennial Pro Bowl player told me Monday morning, “When the owners want to get serious, they just need to get him out of the room – because we’ll never get a deal done with him in there. It’s not professional, and it’s not good business.”

The last paragraph that I pulled from Silver’s article (which was incredibly well-written and I encourage everyone to check out the full piece) disturbs me the most. If there’s one guy who is keeping the contract negotiations from even getting off the ground then Roger Goodell needs to step up ask Richardson to control himself. Or leave. Or go on vacation. Or go back into food sales and sell the Panthers to someone who cares about the league just as much as he does his yearly profits.

Guys like Richardson think that the NFL is about making money. He thinks it’s the owner’s league. But it’s not – it’s the fans’ league. It’s our league. It’s our money that lines the owners’ pockets so that they can pay the players and we want football next year. So if Richardson is not a part of the solution, then get him out.

Jerry Richardson is about to become public enemy No. 1 among football fans. And that’s not good for the rest of the owners.