Chargers' Justin Herbert Gets a Haircut, and Twitter Has Jokes

John Newby

11/18/2020 03:28 pm EST

Wednesday afternoon, Los Angeles Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert met with the media to discuss an upcoming game against the New York Jets. However, his ability to lead the California team to a victory became less of a concern due to a noticeable change. Herbert had cut off his flowing locks, resulting in a very short and surprising hairstyle.

Moments after Herbert stepped to the podium, a screenshot of his new haircut surfaced on Twitter. This image circulated and prompted numerous responses. Several joked about Herbert's appearance and tried to figure out what TV show or movie he drew inspiration from. Others said that the quarterback is actually preparing for a career in the Army and that he would soon head to basic training. The comments continued throughout the afternoon and took over several conversations.

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Is Herbert a Sith in training? Will he bring balance to the force and murder several children with a light saber? There were some people on Twitter that expressed this concern after seeing the quarterback's haircut. Others just said that he shouldn't technically be an NFL star due to being "too young" to secure a driver's license.

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Herbert became the starter after a team doctor accidentally punctured quarterback Tyrod Taylor's lung while giving him an injection. This incident prompted jokes among football fans and did so once again on Wednesday. Twitter comedians repeatedly mentioned Taylor while joking about Herbert's hair, especially after learning that the Strength and Conditioning coach was the one that provided the haircut.

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The jokes about Herbert being young continued as more and more people saw the new haircut. Some compared him to 13 year olds that constantly play the newest Call of Duty nonstop each passing year. Others joked about the quarterback receiving punishment from his parents based on various transgressions.

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Did Herbert make a critical error by cutting his hair before a game against the New York Jets? There were some people that expressed this opinion. They compared him to Samson, a Biblical figure whose strength was tied to the length of his hair. Samson lost his strength and was captured by the Philistines after a haircut. However, he regained his power after his hair grew back. Twitter users joked that something similar would happen to Herbert.

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Twitter users certainly had split opinions about Herbert's new haircut on Wednesday afternoon. Some criticized his decision while others said that "it wasn't bad." One person, however, compared the Chargers' QB to a Norse god. They showed this with a video of a freshly shorn Thor walking into the arena for a fight against the Incredible Hulk.

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Did Herbert have some specific person in mind when he sat down for his haircut? The debates about this topic continued on Wednesday. Some said that he wanted to look like a character from the original Toy Story. Others said that the rookie wanted to resemble a young Tom Hanks. No one had the definitive answer on Wednesday, but there was no shortage of theories.

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Whether the fans loved or hated Herbert's hair, they did find the topic fascinating. Many pointed out that the simple photo was taking over Twitter with surprising ease considering other sports topics that should be trending. For example, the 2020 NBA Draft takes place on Wednesday night, but many expressed the opinion that Herbert's hair was more important.

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