Oh, the power of a tweet and a headline.
In their latest feature piece on the Green Bay Packers, the St. Paul Pioneer Press focused not on one of the players or coaches, but on a sideline technician whom Aaron Rodgers has, well, taken a liking to:
A beard grown by a communications technician who works on the sidelines during Green Bay Packers home games is getting just about as much attention as Santa’s whiskers.
The famous 9-inch beard belongs to Jeremy Wilcox. And, it’s become a good luck charm, of sorts, for Aaron Rodgers. The Packers quarterback has been giving the red beard a gentle tug at each home game ever since Rodgers spotted Wilcox and his hairy chin early this season.
That led someone on the paper's social media team to come up with this genius headline, double entendre firmly in cheek (thanks to Jim Romenesko):
Of course they quickly deleted it, but not before someone snagged a screenshot. The Internet, whether we like it or not, is permanent.
I suppose the Pioneer Press could have had more fun with "Rodgers' beard," but that might have hit too close to home for some Packers fans.
