Texas Hairstylists for Truth

Sadly, it turns out that press reinforcement and support of the disingenuous posturing of public figures is not limited to Republican politicians, but is a service provided players in the National Football League, as well.

Today, the beneficiary was David Carr, quarterback of the Houston Texans. (In case you blinked, Houston has a pro football team again. Maybe soon, San Francisco will have a pro football team again, too.) At the beginning of last season (13 months ago), Carr swore not to get a haircut until the team had won two games in a row. Only today did the Texans accomplish this.

The substance of my complaint is contained in this email that I sent to Greg Easterbrook, the author of Tuesday Morning Quarterback on NFL.com.

To: TMQNFL@yahoo.com
Subject: Texas Hairstylists for Truth

Mr. Easterbrook,

My wife and I watched the Texans beat the Raiders this weekend, ending their streak of not winning two games in a row. The commentors on CBS were making quite a big deal about David Carr's famous oath not to get a haircut until the Texans achieved this.

To my understanding, this oath taken last September. Now, it was pretty obvious to us that Carr had had his hair cut since then -- hair ends don't natrually grow evenly and make a nice straight line on the back of your neck.

I did a little research, and an article by Len Pasquarelli on ESPN.com before the season began confirmed the obvious: "Truth be told, David Carr has actually fudged a bit during his haircut hiatus, succumbing to the occasional trim, the latest less than two months ago."

We're told (repeatedly, ad nauseum) that David Carr will not get his hair cut until the Texans win two in a row. But, when he says, "not get his hair cut," he means, "not get it cut very much," or, "not get it cut unless it really needs it."

My question: Is this what passes for "truth" in Houston? How did CBS verify that David Carr had not had his hair cut? Did they consult independent experts do verify Carr's claims? Why did they repeatedly report this (patently false) story?

Thank you for your jounalistic diligence and integrity.