Yankees Legend CC Sabathia Reacts to Team's Big Announcement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Owen Crisafulli | Last updated Feb 21, 2025 3:28 PM ET

The New York Yankees surprised everyone when they revealed that they were changing one of their long standing traditions on Friday. Big reactions were flying in from folks everywhere, and that included one of their former players in Hall of Fame starting pitcher CC Sabathia.

Back in 1976, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner implemented a policy that prevented his players from having facial hair, with mustaches being the lone exception. His son, Hal Steinbrenner, opted to change the rule on Friday, saying that after discussing the matter with several folks, he decided it was time for a change.

"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," Steinbrenner said as part of his official announcement.

Many players throughout New York's storied history abided by this rule, with one of them being Sabathia. With news of this sudden change going public, Sabathia hilariously chimed in on the decision on social media, sharing a photo of himself sporting a beard alongside a quick message.

"Did someone say new rules?" Sabathia said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Did someone say new rules? https://t.co/K0ocn233Sp pic.twitter.com/qFXAqO9YYs
— CC Sabathia (@CC_Sabathia) February 21, 2025

Sabathia spent the final 11 years of his career with New York, earning four All-Star selections and a World Series ring from the team's victory back in 2009. In Jan. 2025, Sabathia was inducted into the Hall of Fame on his first try, which is a testament to his fantastic career in the MLB.

The one thing Sabathia didn't do during career was sport facial hair during his time with the Yankees, because he was not allowed to. Now, the next generation of players won't be subjected to the same set of rules, which makes for a unique storyline ahead of the 2025 campaign.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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