Friday Take Five: Steelers OL Joe Haeg & Chaz Green, Beard Guys

UNITY TWP., Pa. — Training camp is a time for the Pittsburgh Steelers players to get away and focus on football, all day, every day.

That means team meals, after-practice board games, and all kinds of team bonding. It also means a month of dorm living at St. Vincent College, and that can lead to some interesting grooming choices, as some Steelers players literally let their hair down.

The most common training camp only accessory, though, is the camp beard. With most players’ wives and families back at home, many Steelers choose to leave the razors at home.

Linebacker Robert Spillane showed up at camp sporting a new mustache — he said his fiancee liked it. Minkah Fitzpatrick is still sporting his familiar goatee. He said that’s all the facial hair he can grow. Almost every member of the Steelers will at some point sport at least a little bit of stubble, with quarterback Mason Rudolph one of the few obligate shavers.

But the unquestioned leaders in the beard clubhouse are offensive linemen Chaz Green and Joe Haeg. Both players regularly wear beards, but they stand out even more during the August days near Latrobe.

Our Friday Take Five this week is with Green and Haeg, beard men.

Steelers Now: It’s been hot out here. Does it get uncomfortable at times?

Chaz Green: Not so much. I feel like if I had hair on top of my head, it’d be worse.

Joe Haeg: Yeah, I used to have the long hair and the beard. That was rough. But I don’t know, beards almost like … I don’t feel the same way that I would feel with a head full of hair. It’s just kind of more breathable.

CG: I feel the same way. I had (long) hair in high school. From fourth grade until my sophomore year of high school and when I cut it, I could notice a big difference. I feel like my beard, it’s different. You know?

SN: Chaz’s in neatly trimmed, Joe, yours is pretty wild. Why?

JH: My fiancee will make me clean it up after camp. This is my training camp beard. It gets a little weird. Similar to a playoff beard. Playoff can get pretty bad, too. It’s just, you’re here. It feels right to let it grow out and look a little weird.

CG: Go with the flow. You’re out here grinding, ya know?

SN: Is there anyone on the team without a beard that has good facial hair?

JH: There’s a couple good mustaches around. 

CG: (Christian) Kuntz has got a little goatee action going. Minkah (Fitzpatrick) has a little thing going on. … Before I grew my beard, I used to to rock that. Just a little goatee action.

SN: Why did you decide that you wanted a beard?

CZ: It’s the lineman thing to do. Why not? Plus, I look young without this.

JH: Yeah, same.

CZ: If I shave this, it takes five years off me. It’s crazy.

JH: I think when I’m done with football. I’ll go to a straight mustache. I’ll go to the dad mustache, just a 90’s type vibe. … I think Top Gun is bringing back mustaches, too. Could be a good vibe.