The main peril of having long hair in the NFL is that it’s completely legal for opposing players to tackle players with the manes that flow from beneath the helmet. And though the hair-tackle has happened to guys like Troy Polamalu and Ricky Williams, it’s hard to remember a player ever having his hair ripped out of his scalp by a defender. Andre Ellington was on the wrong side of history on Sunday.

After a short Ellington run, Jacksonville Jaguars defender Jason Babin emerged from the pile holding strands of the back’s dreadlocks. He held the hair aloft, then tossed it to the ground. It looked like a scene out of Braveheart or Gladiator, except the people in those movies who hold up decapitated heads usually play for a better team than the Jags.

Fans of the Real Housewives series acted with nonchalance, as people ripping out other people’s hair happens multiple times per season on that reality show.

UPDATE: Ellington got his hair back!

Good news – Andre Ellington got his hair back after all #AZvsJAX pic.twitter.com/MWlbVHLRBg — MarkDalton (@CardsMarkD) November 17, 2013

(Thanks to SB Nation for sharing this GIF.)

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