Admin July 25, 2024
When Joe Burrow showed up to Cincinnati Bengals training camp Tuesday with a haircut that made him look more like a certain Detroit-based rapper than an NFL franchise quarterback, he ushered in a news cycle for football-starved fans during a painfully slow time on the sport’s calendar.
What, exactly, compelled Burrow to suddenly ditch his boy-band-quality locks and get a bleached blonde buzz cut?
As it turns out, not much beyond a whim.
REQUIRED READING: Joe Burrow haircut at Bengals training camp prompts hilarious social media reaction
“I got bored,” Burrow said during a Wednesday news conference. “That’s about it. First couple of days were definitely a little shocking, but I got used to it.”
Burrow wasn’t the only one shocked by his new look.
When photos circulated of the former LSU Heisman Trophy winner arriving at training camp earlier in the week, the broader online football world was taken aback. His follicle choice made for easy comparisons to rapper Eminem and wrestler Cody Rhodes, with Rhodes even acknowledging the resemblance on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
Now, the real Joe Burrow has stood up and offered an explanation.
He’s not alone on his team in sporting a fresh new cut with the 2024 NFL season approaching.
Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, Burrow former college teammate and favorite target, came to camp without the braids he has sported for much of his career, instead opting for a more closely cropped cut. Burrow added that because he buzzed his hair and dyed it blonde, defensive tackle B.J. Hill now has to do the same.
“Now everybody’s got to hold him accountable because he’s got to do it in the next week,” Burrow said.
Burrow missed the final seven games of the 2023 season after suffering a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist in the Bengals’ 34-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 16. He had previously led Cincinnati to Super Bowl LVI in 2022 and the AFC Championship Game in 2023, achievements that helped the 27-year-old Pro Bowler earn a five-year, $275 million extension in September 2024.