Troy Polamalu and the Great Hair Dilemma

Leave it to the National Football League to once again remind fans why they have earned the nickname "No Fun League."

According to various sources, the NFL owners are contemplating creating a rule where players are not allowed to have hair cover the names on the backs of jerseys. For players like Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers, that would mean a haircut is long overdue.

I want everybody to take a second and think about how many players in the league this would affect.

Polamalu? Check.

Who else?

Anybody?

Unless you happen to be big fans of Al Harris of the Green Bay Packers or Rashean Mathis of the Jacksonville Jaguars, you might not have guessed anyone else.

I have to think that the NFL has better issues to deal with than this. How about receding the playoffs so teams like the Tampa Buccaneers and their 9-7 record aren't getting home games against teams like the New York Giants and their 10-6 record? That seems like a big deal to me. What about allowing a defensive player on each team to wear a radio device in his helmet so communication errors can be avoided? Again, that seems more important.

If the NFL is serious about making a long-hair rule, then they are just backing themselves into the racism corner. Think about it: how many white players would be affected by this change? On the surface, it would not appear to be as many as the black players. Don't get me wrong, I honestly don't see this change being color-influenced, but I highly doubt everybody else would feel the same. The NFL needs to face reality that they are only asking for potentially major trouble if this change is implemented.

So what if the Polamalu's of this world feel like having long hair? It's their bodies, can't they make adult-like decisions on whether or not to get a haircut on their own? They know that each and every time they put their jerseys on, they run the risk letting their hair be used as a pulling device. It's their choice, and that's the way it should be left.

I sincerely hope the NFL does the best thing for the league and simply lets this issue fade away. Making a change would only cause them more heartache in the long-run than necessary.