Eifert becomes the hair apparent with mullet
MULLET MAN
Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert is keeping his mullet for the season, adding a new look to what he hopes is a resurgent time in his career.
Eifert was limited to two games last season because of another back injury that required surgery. During his latest rehab, he decided to let his hair down. He made it through training camp without physical problem, and he’s going to let the hair hang out of the back of his helmet starting with a game Sunday at Indianapolis. He has no plans for getting a haircut. “I’m just kind of rolling with it,” Eifert said. “It kind of started as — not really a joke, just a ha-ha thing. It’s taken a lot of work getting through the awkward stages of it, but it’s turned out pretty good.”
The Bengals signed Eifert, their first-round pick in 2013, to a one-year deal for 2018 that’s loaded with incentives. He’s been limited to 24 games in the past four seasons because of back, elbow, shoulder and ankle injuries as well as a concussion. The Bengals limited him to 14 plays in the preseason to keep him healthy, although that’s not a concern for Eifert.
“I feel like every injury has been somewhat of a fluke thing,” he said. “That’s not even a thought when I go out there.”
PEYTON PITCHES IN
To celebrate the 2018 Smarter Football winners announcement by Riddell, Peyton Manning surprised the Rogersville Middle School football team in Tennessee with new equipment.
Manning serves as a brand ambassador for Riddell, and the program was named “18 in 18” this year in his honor. Manning’s personal contribution increased the number of equipment grants from 10 in 2017 to 18 in 2018, and for the second consecutive year, he played a role in evaluating applicants and choosing the grant winners.
Through an online application process, this year’s recipients successfully demonstrated their commitment to teaching smarter tactics on and off the field while continuing to grow their programs and engage the broader community. Winners include teams from all backgrounds and across levels of play: one college team, 12 high school programs, two middle school teams, and three youth organizations.
Nearly 1,400 teams applied. Along with Rogersville Middle School, the recipients were: Apple Springs (Texas) High School Eagles
Brandywine (Wilmington, Delaware) High School Bulldogs
Ecole Secondaries Franco Site, Sturgeon Falls, Ontario
Englewood (Jacksonville, Florida) High School Rams
Fayette (Missouri) High School Falcons Finlandia University Lions, Hancock, Michigan Florence-Carlton High School Falcons, Florence, Montana
Florence (South Dakota) Henry High School Falcons
Madras (Oregon) High School White Buffaloes
Molokai High School Farmers, Ho’olehua, Hawaii
North Texas Youth Cowboys, Dallas Poinciana High School Eagles, Kissimmee, Florida
Scott’s Branch Middle School Eagles, Manning, South Carolina
Spring Valley High School Vikings, Columbia, South Carolina Stearns High School Minutemen, Millinocket, Maine
United States Virgin Islands Department of Education: Christiansted, USVI West Las Vegas (New Mexico) High School Dons