National Football League

NFL quarterbacks, you boys need stylists

Published Oct. 20, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

When New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was photographed in June with a hairdo that made him look like the teenage pop sensation Justin Bieber, he certainly turned a lot of heads.

But last week, the whole "Brady's locks" situation got a little more relevant. According to a CBS report, Brady got in a heated argument with teammate Randy Moss shortly before Moss was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. During the alleged kerfuffle, Moss reportedly told Brady that his haircut made him look like a girl. (Uh-oh.)

Moss's agent declined to comment. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said at a news conference that the alleged squabble was news to him. But whether the story is true or not, it does point to one little-discussed problem among the NFL's signal callers: Some of these guys really need to make a trip to the stylist.

That's where we come in. To probe this weighty subject, The Journal put together a panel of hair experts that includes Rodney Cutler, the founder of New York City's Cutler/Redken salons, who has worked with Rachael Ray among others; Vanessa Price, the Los Angeles stylist who maintains Bieber's look; and Steve Hammond of Manhattan's Salon G, who has handled the hairdos of hip-hop artist Mos Def and comedian Dave Chappelle.

Our question: What advice would you give to this year's crop of NFL quarterbacks?

After staring at photos of the top starters on all 32 teams, the panelists thought some players should go shorter, some should add braids and one (Tampa Bay's Josh Freeman) ought to consider a "frohawk." Peyton Manning, on the other hand, just needs length. "He's got a big melon," said Cutler. "He's got to grow it out. Right now it looks like a little flap on top of a horse's head."

Overall, the stylists had the highest praise for Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets, who was a unanimous No. 1 pick.

As for Brady's locks, Hammond and Cutler disagreed with Moss, ranking it one of the NFL's three best. But Price, who actually cuts Bieber's hair, didn't agree. "Either you've got it or you don't," she said.