Troy Polamalu’s Haircut: A True Story

Not a lot of people know this, but there is a magical place deep in the heart of an undisclosed location. The room smells of cigarettes and stale beer. There are no windows, only a door at the opposite end from where I enter. In the middle of the room is a single barber’s chair as old as time itself. The ancient leather creaks in agony as I sit.

There is no mirror, only the harsh fluorescent lights above to illuminate my stare at the cracked and peeling ceiling tiles. That chair hasn’t been in proper working order since Watergate. I wonder if anyone has ever escaped this room. If they had, would they be allowed back?

Did Troy Polamalu Cut His Hair

So, if you’re like me (and God help us if that’s the case), you noticed that Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu had some extremely long hair. Like, down-to-the-middle-of-his back long.

And then, suddenly, it wasn’t so long anymore. There were photos of Polamalu on vacation with his wife that revealed a bit of short hair peeking out from under his hat.

Was it true? Has he finally cut that flow? To find out, we sent an intern to the Steelers’ locker room and here’s what he found:

“He did get it cut,” said another player. “Although, to be fair, it’s still pretty long.”

“Go ask him yourself,” said the first intern. “He’s right over there.”

So I went up to Polamalu and asked if he cut his hair.

“Yes,” he replied, smiling broadly. He then turned around to face the Steelers official media relations man and said, “You can tell them I cut my hair.”

So there you have it: Troy Polamalu has cut his hair.

Some People Say That He’s Lost His Trademark Look and That Without His Long Hair, He’s Just Another Player.

Um, who cares? The dude’s hair grew down to the middle of his back and now it has been cut. It still reaches his shoulders. And, hopefully, makes him easier to tackle .

If I had hair like that, I’d be nervous about getting tackled and landing on my head all the time so I wouldn’t blame him for getting it cut.

Well, long hair isn’t the only thing Troy Polamalu used to have. He also had an afro which he cut in 2007. Polamalu has since decided to let his hair grow back and now wears dreadlocks (he is part Samoan).

But Why Did He Do It, and What Does It Mean for His Career

“I cut it because my hair was blocking my vision and there were a lot of other guys on the team that had long hair and I didn’t want to be singled out as having this wild hairdo,” he said. “But now, with dreadlocks, it is even more easy for me to blend in.”

However, he might be recognized for another feature than his long hair. His upper body looks like Bruce Banner and The Incredible Hulk combined:

Polamalu’s strength has been recognized by the NFL . That’s why earlier this year , when Steelers safety Troy Polamalu put on extra pounds, he was told to lose weight. He packed on the pounds during his season-ending injury in 2010 after taking a liquid diet that left him feeling out of shape. … “When I lost my hair I gained some weight,” Polamalu said with a laugh about his long locks now gone. “I’m down to 212, 214, so it’s a good weight.”

Troy Polamalu Trademark Curls Will Always Be Remembered

The Steelers safety was known for his thick, black mane. But during the preseason, Polamalu cut his hair and donated it to children who had lost their locks due to cancer treatments. He’s booked an appointment for career day at his alma mater on Friday.

Now that Polamalu has given away about 8 inches of his hair, he decided to take the opportunity to give back to others by adding some much-needed attention to their charity.

“I’ve actually thought about doing something like this for a long time now,” he said. “It was just timing. To be able to do it at this point in my career — I’m really excited about it.”

Polamalu said he had more than 10 inches of hair cut, and has mailed locks to Locks of Love, Wigs for Kids and Pantene Beautiful Lengths. He’s also working on the creation of a website where people can donate their hair or make other contributions to benefit these groups.