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Smackdown: Who Has The Best Tattoos?

Jay Conner/Tampa Tribune

Cato June (left) and Jerramy Stevens show off their tattoos.

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By ANWAR RICHARDSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 30, 2007

Updated: 12/07/2007 03:06 pm

Smackdown Results: Offense 8, Defense 4

Every generation is known for having a unique trend that makes older people shake their heads in disbelief. That, in turn, makes youngsters believer every elder is out-of-touch.

Whether it was a zoot suit, long sideburns, males with long hair, Afros, polyester bell-bottoms, thick moustaches, Cyndi Lauper's punk rock look, bald heads, the always evolving denim jeans, or goth, there always has been an older generation that did not understand modern fashion and styles.

Today's biggest trend is having body art for an entire lifetime with the ink and needle from a tattoo gun. While Dennis Rodman may have been the first athlete to make body art popular, athletes such as Jeremy Shockey, Allen Iverson, Arnaz Battle and Rasheed Wallace are known for their personal drawings as much as their talent.

This week's Smackdown pits tight end Jerramy Stevens against linebacker Cato June to determine who has the Bucs' best tattoos. Winner can stencil the latest victory on whatever available empty space is left on his body.

Jerramy Stevens, Tight End

The fascination Stevens has with tattoos started after he put the initials ''JRS'' on his right arm. All of his siblings had the same initials, so Stevens decided at 17 to permanently place those three letters on his body.

As Stevens began to evolve, so did the meaning of the 12 tattoos he has inked on his upper body.

''Every time I got into a situation, or I went through something, or was getting ready to go through something, I wanted to make sure I would never forget,'' Stevens said. ''Whatever I learned from it, I put it on my skin.''

For example, he put the word ''Solo'' on his arm before entering the 2002 NFL Draft after dealing with pressure from agents and others outside of his family. Since he had to make a decision for himself, Stevens tattooed that word as a constant reminder.

When former University of Washington teammate Curtis Williams died 18 months after suffering a spinal-cord injury during a game at Stanford, and Huskies cornerback Anthony Vontoure died in police custody after an alleged drug overdose, Stevens decided to memorialize his friends.

''I got an hour glass and two stars of my teammates,'' Stevens (pictured, right) said. ''The hour glass has sand running out to remind me that time is wasting, every minute of every day until you leave, so that is what I got a reminder about.''

The biggest tattoo Stevens has is his family crest, an eight-hour project that covers his entire back. Stevens asked his grandfather for permission to get that tattoo and had it done in 2004. Although it is a symbol of family pride, Stevens' parents are not big fans of his art work, but he said there is still more room for additions.

''Every time I've gotten into a situation I've wanted to learn from it, and sometimes it has been a negative situation, so they [Stevens parents] know my tattoos are a reminder to me of those situations'' Stevens said. ''They are glad that I remembered and don't want to do it again, but they are not a real fan of tattoos because it's kind of foul. Guys are going overboard with it these days, so it doesn't seem like it means anything. But all my stuff is written reminders. Just to get a 'tat' means a lot to me.''

Cato June, Linebacker

June had wanted a tattoo for several years, but the former Anacostia (Washington, D.C.) High School salutatorian was smart enough to know his parents were never going to give him permission.

When June returned home from his first semester at the University of Michigan, he had to take matters into his own hands.

''All my little tricks to get a tattoo didn't work,'' June said. ''In Michigan, you had to at least be 18 or have a parental consent, and I wasn't getting a parent (to) consent.

''My uncle told me he would take me when I turned 18, but he kind of forgot about it, so I came home and got one.''

June had his jersey number (2) tattooed on his right arm with a simple design. One decorative piece of body art was all it took to get him hooked.

''I went on a tear,'' June said. ''I got three done. Then I will get two or three in short periods of time and then I'll go a few months without them.''

June currently has 15 tattoos, and most are his creations. He has a giant red scorpion on his left arm because June's zodiac sign is Scorpio. June also has a giant cross sketched on his right arm that has the words ''Second To None'' and the Bible scripture ''I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me.'' For June, it has a two-part meaning because God is also second to none in his life.

June also has the word ''SJUNEIMUS'' tattooed across the top of his shoulder in the middle of a sword with a crown above it. ''Sjuneimus'' is a Greek warrior alter ego that he invented.

In addition, June has a Greek stone tablet of his stomach with the words ''If you don't stand for something, you fall for anything,'' but the one place you will never see a tattoo is on his face.

''I'm near beautiful already. No need to paint my face,'' June said.

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