CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has gotten his first tattoo, something he was told not to do by former team owner Jerry Richardson, according to Carolina Blitz and other sports news outlets.
Newton has not confirmed the report, but one of the world's most famous tattoo artists, "Bang Bang" McCurdy, posted an Instagram photo this week revealing Newton was a client. The photo shows Newton with a bandaged hand.
"First tattoo for @cameron1newton today," McCurdy wrote. "I'll let y'all guess what he got. This should be fun. Thanks for the trust, bro."
Newton responded by posting "Appreciate the hospitality, love," on Instagram.
Social media instantly began an ongoing debate over what the tattoo might be, including one person who jokingly imagined it was a portrait of popular Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey.
Bang Bang McCurdy's post has gotten 11,000 reactions and dozens of guesses as to what the tattoo might be. The most popular guess is the Superman logo, a reference to Newton's former habit of appearing to rip open his shirt like Superman after making touchdowns.
The Charlotte Observer reported last year that former team owner Jerry Richardson "worked incessantly to promote a wholesome image for his team," and that included personally telling Newton he wanted the quarterback to remain free of tattoos and piercings.
"Apparently, the Panthers' new owner (David Tepper) is more lenient about what his players choose to do to their own bodies," wrote the sports site YardBarker on Wednesday.
Carolina Blitz reported this week that Richardson's decision to sell the team last year has introduced a "different Cam" who is showing more personality and "staying true to himself."
"Now the only question is, where's the tattoo and what is it of?" asked Carolina Blitz. "In the picture, Cam's left hand and what appears to be his left ring finger is bandaged. Maybe he and longtime girlfriend Kia (Proctor) got matching ink."
Proctor has not posted anything about matching tattoos on her Instagram page, however.
The Bang Bang NYC web site says "Bang Bang" McCurdy has tattooed some of the world's top celebrities, including Rihanna, Lebron James, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber.
