The Tale Behind This Crazy NFL Tattoo

In the waning seconds of the November 14th clash between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns something happened that caused jaws to drop all over the country. It was an act of violence that stood out, even within the context of an NFL game. Myles Garrett, a defensive end for the Browns, ripped off the helmet of Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and slammed it into Rudolph’s head. We’d show you the video of the incident, but why not just show you a tattoo instead? 

That’s insane. There are so many crazy sports tattoos out there, but there aren’t many that are as well done as this one. We spoke to Mike Hamill, of Supernova Tattoo Studio in Forney, Texas, about the piece. 

“I actually posted that I wanted to do this tattoo for free,” Hamill explains. “I was trying to think of something that would grab a lot of people’s attention and also showcase some of my color realism. A friend of mine actually suggested this idea, I’m a huge sports fan and this was a current event I figured may have the potential to get a lot of views and shares.”

Hamill’s instincts were 100% correct, the tattoo has been garnering attention all over the interwebs. Naturally, since the piece is immortalizing a moment where Garrett tried to smash the head in of a fellow player, the tattoo has been pretty polarizing. Some folks love it, others, not so much. “It is and has been problematic with a ton of negative comments about players assaulting one another,” Hamill explains. “However, it was a good opportunity for me to get my name out there. Controversial sports moments make for good tattoos. I’ve also done Rougned Odor punching Jose Bautista.”

Whether or not you think that it is a great idea to get a tattoo celebrating a moment that led to an indefinite suspension for Garrett, one can’t deny that the tattoo is very well-done. 

“I’ve been tattooing for 10 years now,” Hamill says. “I fell in love with color realism when I started tattooing, I guess it’s just what personally impressed me most and when I see good pieces from the greats—Nikko, Steve Butcher, Paul Acker—I told myself I wanted to steer my art in that direction.”

This is yet another example of whenever something blows up in pop culture, it is only a matter of time before somebody gets a tattoo of it. What a time to be alive, eh?