NFL Training Camp Yields Awesome Tattoos

It’s NFL training camp season again, and we all know what that means—jockeying for position by the field in hopes of an autograph. Whether it’s on a football, a program or some other piece of memorabilia, the tasteful flourish of the pen from one of our heroes is a big deal for a lot of people.

Those signatures became a tattoo for one dedicated fan at the Redskins training camp in Richmond, Va. More accurately, they became 22 tattoos.

ESPN reports that Redskins superfan Charlie White approached all 22 starters and asked for signatures on the arm, turning his appendage into the true fan’s equivalent of an autograph book.

A warehouse manager from nearby Quintin, White first approached DB’s Ryan Clark and Brandon Meriweather for autographs on Sunday. In between practices, White rushed to the parlor and traded in the temporary Sharpie ink for permanent tattoo ink. Once he got started White didn’t stop collecting signatures until he had every starter on both offense and defense.

Throughout camp, he’s also managed to procure signatures from players like Santana Moss, Darrel Young, former starter Josh Morgan and Robert Griffin III—who merited a special spot on his wrist.

White also has several other Redskins tattoos, including one of Sean Taylor, a former safety for the team killed in ’07. He wasn’t bold enough to get a tattoo predicting a Super Bowl victory—like a Seahawks fan memorably did last season—which was probably for the best considering an abysmal 3-13 finish last year.

As for the standing of those starters, the 41-year-old doesn’t show too much concern for the lineup’s longevity past this season, with some names inked on his arm being under short-term contracts.

“I want all 22 starters,” White told ESPN. “I believe in getting starters on my arm for a reason. It’s because I bleed burgundy and gold.”

Here’s to hoping there are no dramatic changes to the depth chart during camp. And hey, it’s not the craziest showing of sports fandom we’ve seen out of tattoos this year. Between all the tattoos the World Cup inspired and another superfan getting hall of fame basketball coach Jim Boeheim’s likeness tattooed on him, this ink is downright tame.

Still, tattoos make for a hell of a souvenir. And if you’re truly a fan, you want that allegiance to be known for all time.