SPARTANBURG, N.C. -- Ben Boulware sat down in the media room at Wofford College on Monday, pulled out a big brush and began combing his ... beard.
Yes, his beard.
“I’m going to comb my beard out," the Carolina Panthers undrafted rookie linebacker said. “Star [Lotulelei] was running his mouth that he has the best beard on the team. Making sure I keep my length on mine. I think mine is better."
Boulware is fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster, a fight he’s “confident" he will win.
He’s preparing for his first preseason NFL game on Wednesday night against the Houston Texans and first-round draft pick Deshaun Watson, the quarterback Clemson coach Dabo Swinney wouldn’t let Boulware breathe on -- much less hit -- the past three years without fear of losing his scholarship.
But forget all that for a moment.
Boulware’s competitive juices wouldn’t let Lotulelei’s comment 24 hours earlier about his beard ranking No. 1 on the Panthers go without a counter punch.
At least a fun one.
“His is longer than mine," the 6-foot, 235-pound linebacker said when comparing his beard to Lotulelei’s. “This is only a year and eight months. But I think mine has more character. His is just like, ‘Blah.’
“I’m like the hot, ugly guy. Like, I’m pretty ugly, but this makes me look pretty hot."
Lotulelei, a fifth-year defensive tackle, wasn’t there to defend his beard, which is at least five inches long. He probably wouldn’t, anyway.
Lotulelei is a man of few words. He isn’t easily riled. When asked where his beard ranked, he simply said, “One."
Boulware spent several minutes breaking down why his is better like he was analyzing game tape.
He even explained why his sometimes looks shorter than it actually is, which explained why he was combing it early and later tugging on it.
“I’ve been struggling in camp, because whenever I get out of the shower and comb it gets really dry and poofed up," Boulware said. “So I keep combing it to keep it down."
Good thing center Ryan Kalil wasn’t there to argue why his beard should rank No. 1. Kalil is a talker.
But few, if any, on the Panthers can talk a good beard game better than the 23-year-old Boulware, the defensive MVP of Clemson’s national championship team.
“This adds character," he said, enjoying this light-hearted moment as he tugged on his beard. “I’m probably the hottest, ugliest guy on the team."
