Australian NFL star Daniel Faalele has left some fans scratching their heads after a video of him completing a rather strange act went viral on social media.
The 24-year-old Victorian has been impressing in the NFL of late, having played in seven games this season, notably helping the Baltimore Ravens go 5-0 so far this season.
On Tuesday, the Ravens clinched a 31-41 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But a humorous moment appeared to unfold as the players were walking back into the changing rooms at half-time.
Faalele was seen walking down the tunnel at the Raymond James Stadium with the rest of his playing group but appeared to be in the zone as several of his team-mates appeared to walk in a different direction around a concrete pillar.
Faalele had looked as though he was going to walk around the post, but at the last moment, saw his team were going the other way and doubled back before rounding the obstruction and joining them walking inside the pillar.
The strange moment left some scratching their heads online, with X user @BarstoolBanks writing: ‘Daniel Faalele – big ‘don’t split the pole’ guy.’
There is a superstition among some called ‘not splitting the pole’, where a person may bring themselves bad luck if they are walking alongside another group of people and move in a different route around an obstacle compared to the rest of the group.
It appears the 6ft 8in guard may hold that superstition too, with some, including NRL star Josh Addo-Carr and Latrell Mitchell seemingly laughing at the incident.
Aussie NFL star Daniel Faalele appeared reluctant to be separated from his team-mates by a concrete pillar as the Baltimore Ravens walked into the dressing rooms on Tuesday
Mitchell re-posted the clip to his Instagram stories, tagging Addo-Carr, before posting two ‘laughing face’ emoji and the caption: ‘Me breds.’
Addo-Carr responded by posting three ‘laughing face’ emojis on his Instagram story.
Faalele had made his debut for the Ravens back in 2022, making 16 appearances for the club. He played his first game of American Football back in 2017 after he was discovered by a coach from the University of Hawaii.
But fans have lauded him for the act, with one writing on X: ‘Never split the pole.’
‘The stuff the stat sheet doesn’t show. Team guy,’ another said.
Latrell Mitchell and Josh Addo-Carr also reposted the clip on their Instagram stories, captioning the video with several ‘laughing face’ emojis
Fans took to X to laud the Australian with one calling him a ‘team guy’ while another said ‘great court awareness here’
‘Splitting the pole is never worth the risk,’ one said while another X user added: ‘I thought everyone respected the no splitting rule.’
‘Game winner,’ one wrote while another added: ‘Team Chemistry +10’.
