• The first rule of hair pulling is there are no rules of hair pulling.Football official standing next to football image by Pezography from Fotolia.com
  
  What seems to be a trend within the past decade or so in the National Football League (NFL) is long hair. Many NFL players have hair that is so long it sticks out the back of their helmets. Although it may look cool, it does raise some questions on the safety of long hair in such a tough and physical sport. The rules on hair pulling within the NFL may surprise you.
  
  

Fair Game

• Quite surprisingly, there are no actual rules against hair pulling in the NFL. The "Ricky Rule" is somewhat the law-of-the-land, where a player's hair that falls past his helmet is considered to be part of the uniform--and can be used to make a tackle. This "rule" was named after Ricky Williams, who sported long dreadlocks throughout most of his professional football career. Although hair pulling isn't "illegal" in the NFL, it is something that's frowned upon--by both the officials, as well as those players with longer hair. Hair pulling within the game is perfectly OK when making a tackle; however, a player can be fined for "unnecessary roughness" if the hair is pulled after the play is over.
  
  

Recent Fining for Hair Pulling

• In 2006, Troy Polamalu (Pittsburgh Steelers) was tackled by Larry Johnson (Kansas City Chiefs) when Johnson pulled Polamalu down by his long hair. The tackle was fair. Upon getting up, however, it looked as if Johnson pulled Polamalu up by his hair. Because this happened after the play was over, the Chiefs were given a 15-yard penalty.
  
  In 2008, Matt Light (New England Patriots) knocked off Channing Crowder's (Miami Dolphins) helmet; as a result, Crowder shoved Light. Light then took it to another level when he grabbed Crowder's hair with one hand, while punching him with the other. Both players were ejected from the game for fighting, and Light was fined $15,000 for the incident.
  
  In 2009, Richard Seymour (Oakland Raiders) tackled Ryan Clady (Denver Broncos). Once Clady was tackled and on the ground, Seymour continued to get on Clady's back and pull up on his hair. The Raiders were penalized 15 yards, and Seymour was fined $7,500 for pulling Clady's hair.
  
  

Possible Rule Changes

• Although there is no real rule preventing one player from tackling his opponent by the hair, there may be rules about the length of hair in the NFL. Before the 2009 football season, it was discussed among the NFL owners (the Kansas City Chiefs mainly pursuing this rule) to "outlaw" hair that is too long--mainly, hair that falls over or covers the player's name on the back of his uniform. The NFL's Competition Committee does support this possible new rule; however, they will not actively campaign for it--making the Chiefs solely campaign for the league change. Although the Chief's did not succeed in getting the rule enacted, there is still a possibility that it will be enacted in the future.