The Rush: Troy Polamalu on USC’s next coach, Big Ben’s longevity and a new side hustle
Steelers legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu is on The Rush, dishing on Pittsburgh’s season and how much longer Ben Roethlisberger will stay in the game, why he has no interest in playing football again, and his keys to hiring the next head football coach at his alma mater, USC. Plus, Troy and Head & Shoulders are partnering with Fiverr to help you tackle your new projects. Click here to hire Troy to work for you!
Video Transcript
JARED QUAY: Your calling card, obviously besides being one of the best safeties to ever play the game, someone I looked up to playing it, is your hair, man. Obviously, Head and Shoulders and your hair have been great. My question is, is there anything that it was negotiated that you would cut your hair for? Somebody was like, hey, we'll end world hunger if you cut your hair. Would that work?
TROY POLAMALU: Yeah, I'm definitely not tied to it that much.
JARED QUAY: What's up, everybody. I'm here with Pro Football Hall of Famer and Steelers great and the face of Head and Shoulders Troy Polamalu. How are you doing today Troy?
TROY POLAMALU: I'm well, thank you. Thank you guys for having me.
JARED QUAY: I know you're a Steelers great. How do you feel about your Steelers squad this year, man?
TROY POLAMALU: Yeah, I'm excited. As you know, you can never tell so early in the season. It's about, you know, the process of what you learn throughout the season, it's about getting better, it's about peaking at the right time late in the season. So for me, this sort of process is within the storyline of any great team. So it's about how they continue to persevere through their slow start.
JARED QUAY: Yeah. Well, they've been able to add some wins on lately. One of the reasons is there's this guy named Big Ben who's been playing for a long time. So as someone who used to play with Big Ben, how many more years you think he goes for? You think Big Ben can stay as long as Brady maybe?
TROY POLAMALU: You know, no, definitely not as long as Tom. I don't know if anybody can do that. He, like any other athlete, wants to go out on top, and he's got an organization that's willing to back him.
JARED QUAY: Is the thought of wanting to go back and play ever run through your mind? Or is that old news?
TROY POLAMALU: Yeah. No, the body is definitely brittle is what I call it. You know, I knew it was time for me to stop playing when I was on the sidelines going like, ooh, I can't believe that hit. Ooh.
[LAUGHTER]
- That's a sign, bro.
JARED QUAY: So if we're not going to go back to playing football, I know your Alma mater USC recently is looking in the coaching market. Has the thought of coaching ever ran through your head?
TROY POLAMALU: Oh no, definitely not for me. You know, I'm actually amazed. I just recently turned 40. And Coach Tomlin, who was the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, I think, at 34 or 35. I think a bold move like that, an unpopular move of going somebody that's very young, somebody who's Black, I think, was amazing. A great move for the Pittsburgh Steelers that has continued to pay off.
So for me, I think that's what I would hope to see in the next coach at USC is somebody who's ethnic, Samoan, Black, Mexican. I think that's the really important. And somebody that's young. And there's a lot of great, young, talented coaches out there that aren't really very popular names.
JARED QUAY: We've enjoyed you as the face of Head and Shoulders over the years.
PAT MAHOMES: Schlemiel.
TROY POLAMALU: Schlimazel.
PAT MAHOMES: Touchdown.
TROY POLAMALU: Turnover.
PAT MAHOMES: MVP.
TROY POLAMALU: Super Bowl champ. Twice.
JARED QUAY: And now you're teaming up with Fiverr to do something cool for your fans. Can you tell us a little bit about that partnership?
TROY POLAMALU: First of all, it's been a great partnership with Head and Shoulders all these years, throughout most of my playing career as well as into retirement. And this partnership with Fiverr is a real natural fit because outside of football I've been kind of known to do freelance everything, whether it's like playing pool or playing the piano or--
Classical. Or Indie. Or Goth rock. It's all music to my ears.
Surfing or whatnot. Learning a lot of these sort of tasks. Fiverr is a great platform for these sort of things.
JARED QUAY: Are you good a lot of things you're driving?
TROY POLAMALU: No. Like I said, I was only professional at one thing and that was football.
JARED QUAY: Of all the services that you're helping with Fiverr to help people with their businesses, which one are you looking forward to the most?
TROY POLAMALU: The one that, I guess, outside of football that I've been professional at was voice acting. Having a small role in the movie "Moana" has been really fun as well.
Every storm, this roof leaks no matter how many fronds I add.
JARED QUAY: Which part in "Moana?" My daughter loves "Moana." What part of "Moana" did you do?
TROY POLAMALU: So I practically saved the whole movie, to be honest with you. I'm waiting for my sequel to come out because I'm villager number one. And I'm the one that warns the chief about his mother and--
JARED QUAY: Oh!
TROY POLAMALU: Yeah.
JARED QUAY: Yeah. You did save the movie. I was about to turn it off, and that part came on.
TROY POLAMALU: No, man. If they never had the conversation, you know there'd never be a Moana. So I'm just waiting for my props for villager number one. And as soon as my part comes up, I start cringing. I'm like, ah.
JARED QUAY: No, it's good. That was like-- that was solid.
[LAUGHTER]
Troy, man, thank you. It was a pleasure, brother.
TROY POLAMALU: Thank you, guys.
