Derrick Henry chopped off his beloved dreadlocks last week after years of growing them out. Much like Troy Polamalu or Clay Matthews Jr., the Baltimore Ravens’ running back’s long locks have become part of his identity on the field. Unsurprisingly, there was a strong reaction when he announced he’d chopped off the dreads and moved to braids. And when we say strong, we mean really angry.
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Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson discussed this topic on their daily YouTube news show, Nightcap. Keyboard warriors said Henry looked like Omar from The Wire and that he lost his “aura”. But Ocho was not of the same opinion.
“It might be a good thing, he might be lighter!”
Ocho was dubious of the notion that a haircut could actually affect the “aura” of a player of Henry’s caliber. Sharpe mentioned the Biblical legend of Samson, wherein his mighty superhuman strength is nullified after his long hair was secretly cut against his will by the Philistines.
However, Ocho’s not seeing any parallels with Henry and Samson. The former Cincinnati Bengals superstar also pointed out that Henry hasn’t played with his new haircut yet. So “we gon’ see” on Sunday against the New York Giants if the theories on his hair’s Samson-esque powers hold true.
“We gon’ see if he lost his aura come Sunday… I was just gonna say, is he like Samson? We gon’ find out. I highly doubt it. Because I don’t think him running the ball and being as good as he is has anything to do with his dreads.”
The fellas went on to discuss how chopping off his dreads would also protect Derrick Henry from being tackled by his hair. The league used to consider a hair tackle a personal foul. However, long hair flowing out the back of a player’s helmet is now considered part of the uniform. Defenders can (and do) drag players down with their long hair. That will no longer be a worry for the braided Henry.
Sharpe and Ochocinco reminisced about a particularly infamous instance back in 2006 when safety Troy Polamalu was tackled violently by his long curly locks. After picking off a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs, Polamalu made for the sideline and seemed on his way to an 80-yard interception return TD. But then, hulking Chiefs RB Larry Johnson dove with his last ounce of energy and snatched Polamalu’s curls to drag him down.
Dreads or braids, Derrick Henry should be able to continue the resurgent campaign he’s been having in his age-30 season. This is especially true considering their Week 15 opponent, the Giants, have given up the 5th-most rushing yards this season. Henry, Lamar Jackson, and company lost two in a row before going on their Week 14 bye, so they’ll be rearing to go come Sunday.
