Troy Polamalu's Hair

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu is one of the biggest paradoxes in the NFL; he’s one of the most ferocious defensive backs in the game and makes incredible plays, yet he has the longest hair and one of the softest voices in the league. It just doesn’t jive.

Polamalu’s popularity as a player precedes him as he was actually featured on the cover of Madden 2010 last year. The Madden Cover Curse struck Troy in the first half of his season opener last year as he hurt his knee and hardly contributed to Pittsburgh’s defense, playing just five games. This was bad news for more than just Steelers fans; head and shoulders made a big investment in Troy, featuring him in commercials all throughout the season. After making such a large commitment to a player, the last thing you want to see is him get injured and become irrelevant.

Well, it looks like head and shoulders is sticking by their guy. It was announced Monday that the P&G shampoo company took out a $1 million insurance policy on Troy Polamalu’s hair with Lloyd’s of London. Apparently Polamalu hasn’t cut his locks for seven years which is about 83 months more than me. His hair has become so long it seems to be a hazard on the field, but at least the good news is he doesn’t play offense otherwise people could use it as a tackling device.

By the way, I fully realize that I’ve taken the bait in a total publicity stunt, but it was a good one. Plus, you really think I would miss a chance to post pictures of Polamalu going with the Nordberg ‘do?