“My Lips Start Getting Dry”: Texans DB Keeps Chapstick on Him to Keep His Energy Alive During the NFL Games

Being a footballer is not easy. If no one already told you, the sport needs specially designed protection gear with an entire helmet on top, combining for 9.5 to 10 lbs of additional weight. Somehow that’s still not enough to protect the players from averaging more than one concussion every two games. Keeping the bigger problems aside, even the smallest of details, can cause havoc on an entity if not taken care of, such as the Jalen Pitre example.

The Texans DB has a habit of keeping an all-important chapstick, a type of lip balm in. The experience is not very smooth as it keeps on falling. But survival is more important than experience as the helps Pitre with a common problem of the NFL players.

Jalen Pitre has an innovative solution for dryness

In the Texans’ recent game against the Buccaneers, Pitre’s helmet voice recorder recorded a unique moment. The moment his chapstick was in action during a break. The rest of the players were busy getting drinks and discussions. But Pitre watched out for the finger-sized canister in the meantime. He even offered the same to his teammates. Check the clip here from Dov Kleiman’s recent tweet:

“Anybody needs Chapstick?” Pitre asked the team during a drinks break. “It starts getting late in the drive bro, and I start getting tired. My lips start getting dry… Bad for business!” he was seen explaining to linebacker Christian Harris.

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So, he needs to keep the chapstick to fight the dryness of the lips. But the later part of the clip showed it getting thrown out of Pitre’s gear as he intercepted a touchdown from the Bucs and fell over. There might be a reason why the DB decides to keep the balm despite the inconveniences, especially when there are drink breaks after every quarter.

Why does Pitre need the balm despite hydration breaks?

The NFL players are allowed for a 2-minute break after each quarter. They can get a pep talk, some rest, and most importantly, drinks. But the 15 mins can be as long as 40 mins, depending on the play. Sometimes the quarter is run constantly when no hydration or emergency breaks are called in between. And that’s where things start getting uncomfortable.

The players need constant hydration to function, and so do their lips. Without a soft, smooth lip, it becomes uncomfortable to keep their mouths closed inside the helmets. And that could lead to a distraction, and potentially a hit or some game-changing moments. To tackle this issue, Jalen Pitre has looked for the unique solution. The DB keeps the chapstick inside his costume and uses it in between the plays.

A quick roll on the lips, without even needing to open the helmet, and Pitre is good to go for the extra minutes. It’s strange how more players have already not adopted this simple yet effective solution!

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