Cam Newton Tattoos

Just a quick follow-up to my previous post about NBA tattoos and the mindset that they at times create.

There's been much made lately about Carolina Panthers rookie QB Cam Newton.  Cam was the Heisman trophy winner last year at Auburn University.  He was the #1 overall draft pick into the NFL and led his team to a National Championship in his final season.  What Cam Newton doesn't have, is any tattoos or piercings.  The owner of his NFL team has asked Cam not to get any tattoos while he is a member of the team.  This has led to much discussion as to the image that athletes with tattoos portray.  As in my previous story, Kevin Durant and Lil Wayne were both mentioned as well.  I've heard the gang or thug story line at least 10 times this week through various media outlets as well. 

As one writer stated here, ultimately what will matter is how Cam Newton performs on the field.  Whether or not he has tattoos should not matter.  And the same holds true for students.  Regardless of how a student expresses him or herself (tattoos, piercings, style of dress, sexual orientation, etc) the performance in the classroom, both academically and in terms of behavior, should be what matters.