Polamalu’s Locks Latest Celebrity Feature With Insurance Policy

Because who knows when Larry Johnson will strike next?!

Every so often, the word comes down from the mountains of journotainment that a person of great fame has had a costly insurance policy taken out on one of their trademark physical features. Perhaps the best known of these stories occurred three years ago when it was reported - though never quite confirmed - that Jennifer Lopez had a $1 billion policy taken out on her backside.

There are, of course, examples from the sports world, and actually confirmed ones at that. In 2009, Real Madrid took out a $153 million policy on Cristiano Ronaldo’s legs. Joba Chamberlain has a $5 million policy on his pitching arm. Of course, those are parts of the body relevant to those players’ careers.

Which makes the news that Head & Shoulders put a $1 million policy with Lloyd’s of London on Troy Polamalu’s hair an amusingly pointless little bit of marketing that we are clearly aiding and abetting by writing about it.

Polamalu, of course, began to shill for the company last year, with memorably goofy commercials that debuted right before his season fell apart in Week 1 because of a knee injury.

Oh, and he also has quite an alarming history of concussions. That’s right, he’s had seven of them. So suffice it to say, Troy Polamalu and Head & Shoulders have put together a cute little stunt here, but the folks presently more interesting in making sure football players don’t suffer brain damage are probably more interested in preserving what’s under his ample tresses.