Pacman Jones tackled Torrey Smith by yanking him down by his dreadlocks.  Is this dirty pool?

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There were some crazy highlights from this Bengals-Ravens game on Sunday.  Referee Ron Winter found himself at the bottom of a dogpile.  That was wild.  Plus, Bengals cornerback Pacman Jones yanked Ravens receiver Torrey Smith down by his dreads.

This actually isn't dirty pool according to the NFL.  The NFL considers hair to be part of the uniform.  Defenders are not penalized for tackling ball carriers by their hair. 

I've always thought that the "hair is part of the uniform" explanation is stupid.  There are "horse-collar" tackles in the NFL.  If a defender yanks a ball carrier down by pulling on the back of his jersey or shoulder pads, it's a 15-yard penalty.  Are shoulder pads and the jersey not part of the uniform?  Of course not.  So why does the NFL state that a tackle by the hair isn't a penalty because it's "part of the uniform"?  Weird.   

Brian Noe is the Program Director at 104.5 The Team, ESPN Radio in Albany, NY.  Brian also hosts “The Noe Show” each weekday from 1-3pm ET on WTMM.

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