Jacob Eason takes out insurance policy on his gorgeous hair
LSU running back Leonard Fournette is believed to have become one of the most heavily insured college sports athletes in history back in mid-May.
That’s because playing in an unforgiving sport can rob even the most gifted athletes of their most prized physical attributes.
Georgia freshman QB Jacob Eason, who’s equally enchanting tossing a football as he is when tossing his hair, followed in Fournette’s footsteps and took out $5 million worth of insurance for his majestic mane on Monday.
The two plans, each worth $2.5 million, cover Eason’s hair from both catastrophic injury and damage that would lead to him falling from his projected NFL Draft spot.
The approval of the second policy was unexpected since the NCAA-backed policy, which will kick in at the beginning of summer practices, is only supposed to be given to those who have shown potential to be selected within the first two rounds of the NFL Draft.
Of course, Eason hasn’t even played a collegiate game yet for the Bulldogs, but an exception was made for 2016’s top-rated, Pantene Pro-V-using pro-style QB.
“We don’t know where he’s going to be taken in the draft yet. No one does because we haven’t seen what he can do on the field,” said an executive with NCAA’s travel and insurance who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“But we do know that he has a gorgeous set of locks. We also know the value that style, fashion and overall appearance can bring to the broader entertainment market. These guys are thinking bigger than football today.”
The timing is interesting considering this year’s season of ABC’s “The Bachelorette,” which includes former Vanderbilt quarterback (and brother of NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers) Jordan Rodgers. Rodgers’ charisma and sweet talk have been on display, but not more than his impressive hair.
Here @JRodgers11, we'll fix that for you…@BacheloretteABC #TheBachelorette pic.twitter.com/5pAbGmWQzb
— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 7, 2016
It’s not clear if Eason is considering an appearance on the long-running ABC reality show as a backup plan to future NFL ambitions. Eason would be a worthy follow-up to the impressive lineage of SEC-related personalities. Prior to Rodgers’ appearance, Aaron Murray’s brother Josh was the last man standing on a recent “The Bachelorette” season. And who can forget trailblazer Jesse Palmer, who was the first professional athlete to star on the show in 2004?
We reached out to Eason’s dad, Tony Eason, former college football player at Notre Dame, to discuss the move, but he was not available for comment.
Alternatively, former New England Patriots quarterback Tony Eason (unrelated) was happy to chime in on the subject.
“Are we really talking about a kid’s hair? In my day, if you washed your hair in the locker room with anything other than a bar of soap, you were hazed for weeks. One time, some rookie walked in during training camp with a whole bag full of hair products. We held him down and emptied every can of hair spray he had into his eyes while he screamed in agony. These millennials act like the NCAA might let them play without helmets if their hair is pretty enough or something. I wish it would let them.”
Player protection in the world of college football is a new trend, but the 6-foot-5, 211-pounder from Lake Stevens, Wa., could be pioneering an even newer one for players wanting to insure specific body parts.
However, that practice is commonplace among celebrities. Eason says his inspiration to do so came from singer Mariah Carey, who took out a $1 billion insurance policy on her legs in 2006 with Lloyd’s of London, a prominent specialty insurance firm.
Eason, after consulting with his hair physician, didn’t feel comfortable agreeing with the company after learning that former USC receiver Marqise Lee sued the firm for not paying out an LOV (Loss of Draft Value) claim last year.
“We just wanted to make sure it was in the best of hands,” Eason said. “I talked to Marqise because he had experience with them, and plus he’s a West Coast guy like me, you know? He understands how important hair protection is, and he just praised me for fighting to bring awareness to that.”
Eason then pushed the NCAA to add body part insurance, and it wasn’t long before his wish was granted. Of course, the fear is that insurance companies will try to find a loophole to deny payment, such as non-contact-related conditions like split ends or helmet hair.
Nonetheless, the five-star quarterback has already made his presence felt on the field in Athens as he battles senior Greyson Lambert and junior Brice Ramsey for the starting spot.
Eason entered the team’s spring game in the second quarter to an explosion of cheers — and boos since he put his helmet on to take the field — before going 19-for-29 with 244 yards, 1 TD and no interceptions.
His performance came in front of 93,000 fans at Sanford Stadium, an SEC record for spring game attendance. That was something first-year coach Kirby Smart had been pushing for all spring.
“I thought Jacob looked phenomenal today,” Smart said. “His hair had volume and just looked healthy overall. He also threw the ball pretty well.”
Obligatory disclaimer: This was a satire.