The news: Pittsburgh Steelers star safety Troy Polamalu, 29, has had his iconic head of hair insured for $1 million. The Lloyd's of London policy was paid for by Head & Shoulders, for whom Polamalu has worked as a spokesman for the past two years. Polamalu's flowing locks were last seriously threatened in 2006 when former Kansas City Chiefs' running back Larry Johnson tackled him by the hair. (Watch Polamalu's Head & Shoulders ad.)
The reaction: Polamalu's hair "must be a tempting retaliatory target for smothered running backs and wide-outs the league over," says Josh Peskowitz in Esquire. "No wonder the dandruff-shampoo giant has taken steps to protect its shiny (and bouncy) investment." This news, says Dave Rosenthal in the Baltimore Sun, should assuage any "doubts that we're headed for the Rapture, or whatever else The End will be called."
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