Former New York Yankees Star Shares His Surprising Perspective on New Beard Policy

A former New York Yankees star who was directly impacted by the previous beard policy shared his stance on the change.

Jun 22, 2014; Bronx, NY, USA; Former New York Yankee Johnny Damon (18) during Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium / Anthony Gruppuso-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees shocked baseball fans when they revealed their "no beard" policy was being reversed, allowing their players to have facial hair other than a mustache for the first time in almost 50 years.

This was put in place under the ownership regime of George Steinbrenner, something that has been a talking point during this modern era of society.

Plenty of takes have come out regarding being in favor or against this change, but someone who was directly affected by this policy back when he was part of the Yankees has shared his perspective on the situation.

Johnny Damon signed a four-year, $52 million contract with New York in December of 2005, leaving the Boston Red Sox in shocking fashion after he helped that franchise break the "Curse of the Bambino" in 2004 by knocking off the Yankees in historic fashion during the ALCS.

Damon had to cut his shoulder-length hair and shave his beard to comply with the policy, getting rid of his signature look.

Because of that, many people might be surprised to hear Damon actually doesn't like the rule change New York just implemented, stating in his personal Instagram post that he thinks "we need to keep it how it was" to respect the franchise greats that have come before this era and honor the tradition of the organization.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Johnny Damon (@johnnydamon)

"I cut these lovely locks off many years ago because George Steinbrenner is such a great human being, such a great boss, that I wasn't even going to question it," he said as part of his statement in the video above.

That's certainly an interesting perspective.

He didn't say whether or not he would have preferred to keep the signature long hair and beard that he became known for, but it should be noted he currently has long hair once again.

New York stated that part of their reasoning for making this change was to ensure they would remain competitive for free agents who might not like the previous policy.

Will the ability for players to have "well-trimmed" beards help the Yankees in free agency?

Perhaps.

But it's notable that the player who seemingly was affected the most by the policy that required him to shave his long beard and cut his hair believes New York shouldn't have made this change.

Recommended Articles

•

Yankees Star Destroys Barstool Sports Owner Dave Portnoy on Social Media

•

Durability Concerns Could Prevent Young Yankees Starter From Becoming Team's Ace

•

Yankees Already Destroying Record Books With Controversial Torpedo Bats

•

Yankees Star Jazz Chisholm Jr. Shares Humorous Take on Torpedo Bats

•

Brewers Manager on Yankees Torpedo Bats: ‘It’s Not Like it’s Some Magical Wood’