Miami Marlins Change Facial Hair Policy, Tame Beards Are Now Allowed

The Marlins are relaxing their facial hair policy in 2014 and will allow some beards

The Miami Marlins have had a ban on facial hair ever since Jeffrey Loria purchased the team, but that ban was partially lifted on Tuesday according to the Miami Herald.

While the Marlins will still not allow wild unkempt beards, they will permit players to have neat and trim beards per the report from the Herald. The policy, which resembled the way the New York Yankees do business, has led to Marlins players heading straight for a grooming after they arrive at spring training each year.

For the most part players haven't openly complained about the policy, but the freedom to have facial hair will likely be a welcome change.

The lifting of the ban comes after the Marlins signed Jarrod Saltalamacchia who was one of the bearded wonders on the 2013 world champions Boston Red Sox. That team had a number of players who donned beards and even had nicknames and T-shirts designed based on their facial hair. Some of those beards were a bit on the wild side and would still still be banned in Miami even with the more lenient new policy.

"This year we're going to let them have beards, but they've got to keep them trimmed up and the hair too," Marlins manager Mike Redmond told the Herald.

The skipper said that the ban being lifted was an organizational decision.  Despite the lifting of the ban, fans shouldn't expect to see the Marlins all growing beards a la the Red Sox. That may come down to a lack of opportunity.

"We've only got a handful of guys who can even grow a beard," Redmond added.

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