Broncos may have gone too far with this rookie’s rat haircut
One of the most common pieces of hazing in the NFL, outside of the training camp talent show, is the rookie haircut, in which the professional football players turn into amateur barbers and butcher the hair of their newest teammates.
These are generally funny and good-natured and resulted in Tim Tebow briefly sporting a monk’s tonsure back in his first season with the Broncos. This year Denver went even further, shaving a rat into the head of Connor McGovern in what is likely the worst, or best, haircut in training camp history.
In the clip above you can see the Broncos also brought back the hairdo sported by Tebow for their team bowling night. Unfortunately the team forgot to try out the innovative “handprint haircut” the Colts rolled out a few seasons ago.
GALLERY: NFL ROOKIE HAZING THROUGH THE YEARS
NFL Rookie Hazing Through the Years
Tim Tebow
Hector Acevedo/ZUMApress
Jon Beason
AP
Von Miller
AP Photo/Jack Dempsey
Rashad Jennings, Tiquan Underwood and Zach Miller
Gray Quetti/Cal Sport Media; AP
Michael Vick
AP
Alterraun Verner
Mark Humphrey/AP
Doug Free
AP
Odell Beckham
Rich Graessle/Icon SMI
Kevin Barnes and Robert Henson
AP
Jimmy Garoppolo
Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Lucas Nix
Paul Spinelli/AP
Tom Brady
Elsa/Getty Images
Tom Brady
Michael Dwyer/AP
LeGarrette Blount
Mark Humphrey/AP
Kyle Newhall-Caballero
Paul Spinelli/AP
Patrick Trahan
Mark Humphrey/AP
Chas Alecxih
Doug Murray/Icon SMI
Joel Hale
Don Juan Moore/Getty Images
Olivier Vernon
Doug Murray/Icon SMI
Patrick Ramsey and Steve Spurrier
AP
Phil Costa and Will Barker
Eric Gay/AP
J.D. Walton
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Travis Ivey
Steve Mitchell/US PRESSWIRE
Jason Smith
G. Newman Lowrance/Getty Images
Tom Brandstater and Blake Schlueter
David Zalubowski/AP
Jason Chery
AP Photo/Chuck Burton
Carolina Panthers
Chuck Burton/AP
Mike Elgin, Justin Rogers and Clint Oldenburg
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
Jarvis Moss
AP Photo/Jack Dempsey
Zach West and Oscar Lua
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
Tim Crowder
AP
Pat McQuistan and Dennis Roland
Matt Slocum/AP
Rob Ninkovich
Rogelio V. Solis/AP
New England Patriots
Robert E. Klein/AP
Reggie Poole
Mark Humphrey/AP
Taylor Whitley
Mark Humphrey/AP
Jamal Brooks
AP
Jason Gamble, Ben Adams, Zach Piller and Ian Rafferty
Mark Humphrey/AP
Michael Hawthorne
Bill Haber/AP
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephan Savoia/AP
Jamal Brooks
Bill Haber/AP
Brady Quinn
Steve Dykes/Getty Images
Sammy Watkins
Kellen Micah/Icon SMI
Stephen Houston
Fred Kfoury III/Icon SMI
Jordan Sulten
John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Detroit Lions
Stan Wayman/Getty Images
Detroit Lions
Stan Wayman/Getty Images
Joel Hale
Don Juan Moore/Getty Images
DeMarcus Ware
James D. Smith/Icon SMI
Training camps run the constant risk of information overload for followers of the NFL news cycle: Rosters balloon to a maximum of 90, players are held out of practice with mysterious injuries, the media relays context-free stats and success rates from obscure camp drills and coaches do everything they can to keep from saying anything interesting. And that’s all before the preseason games themselves, a notoriously frustrating tease for the real action that begins in September.
