An American football player is reported to have had his hair insured for $1 million. The policy is said to have been taken out by Procter and Gamble to cover his continued appearance in adverts for a shampoo brand.
Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who is of Samoan descent, has a mass of three-foot long curly hair which could perhaps be described as resembling a Tina Turner wig placed on a baby. He says he hasn't cut the hair since 2002.
It's not known exactly what the criteria is for a payout, which raises the possibility the policy is as much about publicity as genuine protection. The premium is likely to work out cheaper than paying for the equivalent amount of advertising.
However, there are legitimate risks of the hair being damaged. Because most players have hair short enough to be cased entirely inside a helmet worn during games, there are no specific rules against pulling hair. In 2006, one player used exactly such a tactic to prevent Polamalu scoring.
