The New York Yankees are making a major change to a longtime policy for its players. Members of the baseball team will now be allowed to have “well-groomed beards,” upending a previous rule about facial hair that began five decades ago.
“In recent weeks I have spoken to a large number of former and current Yankees - spanning several eras - to elicit their perspectives on our longstanding facial hair and grooming policy, and I appreciate their earnest and varied feedback,” managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement Friday. “Ultimately the final decision rests with me, and after great consideration, we will be amending our expectations to allow our players and uniformed personnel to have well-groomed beards moving forward. It is the appropriate time to move beyond the familiar comfort of our former policy.”
The New York Yankees have had an appearance policy since the 1970s hippie era, restricting the length of players' hair and allowing mustaches but no beards or other facial hair. The rule began when Hal’s father, George Steinbrenner, became the MLB team’s owner in 1973 and was codified in 1976.
The issue has come up several times over the years, including when the Yankees acquired an unshaven Johnny Damon from the Boston Red Sox in 2005 and traded for a long-haired Clint Frazier in 2017. The beard policy came in question again this week when former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Devin Williams appeared with more than a 5 o’clock shadow in his new Yankees team photo.
NBC reports Hal Steinbrenner and Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman are expected to speak to the media on Friday about the change.
