Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has spent the last couple of months trying to get from under the scrutiny of Philadelphia football fans for not leading the team to the “promised land,” also known as the Super Bowl.
At least he can count on his female fans to cheer him on, looking past his lackluster performance in the last half of the NFL season and focusing on his good looks, his cool demeanor, and his signature goatee.
Now, after appearing in Washington, D.C., at Nike’s Path to Progress event, some of those ladies are considering falling back, taking to social media in an uproar after he shaved his beard off.
Photographs of the 25-year-old Brand Jordan athlete sporting the fresh face alongside Jordan Brand President Sarah Mensah, Nike, Inc. President and CEO John Donahoe, professional BMX athlete Nigel Sylvester, and Los Angeles Sparks point guard Kia Nurse hit the internet, and women seemed to lose their minds.
The X account Eagles Nation posted the images, sparking off dialogue. One wrote, “He needs to grow it back expeditiously and never cut it off again!” One follower wrote, “no thank u jalen bby start growing it back.”
no thank u jalen bby start growing it back 🫶🏾
— 𝓷 (@niyaaaahh) February 28, 2024
One X user tried to rationalize the sudden change in his opinion, stating, “He’s having an identity crisis.”
Another person furiously posted, “Who tf told Jalen Hurts to do that???!
who tf told Jalen Hurts to do that???! pic.twitter.com/1qdvsInGGA
— A Son For A Son🐉🖤 (@myelizabeth_) February 28, 2024
While many of the comments suggested that by shaving the facial hair, Hurts’ new look added some years to his appearance. A few people said perhaps the Omega man was trying something new, and possibly ushering in a new energy for the next season.
The 2023 NFL season did not go well for the athlete.
Following a strong start to the season with a record of 10-1, Hurts and his team experienced a downturn, going 1-6 over the final seven games.
Still, the team had a good enough standing to make the playoffs.
Their playoff run came to an abrupt halt with a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the Super Wild Card Weekend.
While some have questioned Hurts’ leadership abilities in elevating the team, his head coach Nick Sirianni has publicly supported him, emphasizing that he stands by his star player. He expressed confidence in Hurts, praising “his special qualities” and believing how he leads will yield results.
“There’s not a book that is written on ‘This is how you lead,’ right? People lead in different ways,” Penn Live reports Sirianni as saying.
“Everybody has to lead their way, and Jalen has special qualities that people will follow and people would want to follow,” he continued, adding that some leadership styles are “ loud and aggressive” and others are “by example.” He also said that he has seen leadership styles being a combination of both.
He also said that it is unfair to place all the blame on Hurts.
“We had a falloff as a team,” Sirianni said. “It wasn’t just Jalen, it’s not just me. We had a falloff as a team those last six weeks that we all need to get better from.”
His female fans are not worried about his leadership style. They just want their man back, leaving him very strong messages on Beyoncé’s innanet, like, “Ima need the goatee back on Jalen Hurts’ face by the time September rolls around.”
Ima need the goatee back on Jalen Hurts’ face by the time September rolls around 😤
— 1k Watts ♚ (@1k_Watts) February 28, 2024
The world is waiting to see if he hears the cries of his fans and hoping impatiently for his beard to grow back.