Let the record state, according to a very reliable source, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day does not dye his beard.
That's according to none other than Christina (Nina) Day, who will celebrate 20 years of marriage to the man in June but whose expertise on Day's facial hair coloring goes back much further.
"I have known Ryan my entire life and he has never once died his beard," Nina Day tweeted Monday. "Move on to the next narrative."
The tweet was in response to a Clay Travis clip in which Travis talked for more than two minutes on how, in his view, dyeing of facial hair makes a man untrustworthy.
"If you have a beard, and you dye your beard, you are not trustworthy. The whole purpose of having a beard is to embrace your rugged masculinity, and if you're dyeing your beard, you are defeating the whole purpose," Travis said. He continued: "I think this is why people didn't trust Ryan Day. I think Ryan Day's approval ratings would go up a billion percent -- congrats on the national title, if you really want to be beloved, don't dye your beard." Travis then went on to talk about Santa Claus.
I have known Ryan my entire life and he has never once died his beard. Move on to the next narrative. https://t.co/Sc0hUmxMlm
— Christina Day (@ninadaytime) April 14, 2025
In Travis's defense, he's far from the first person to surmise the midnight black hair atop and on Day's head -- with nary a speck of white, despite his 46 years of life and his now-lengthy tenure in arguably the most stressful job in college football -- could not be natural. A thread on the Ohio State fan site Eleven Warriors titled, "Hard hitting topic: Does Ryan Day dye his beard and hair?" garnered 86 responses, with most replies ranging from "Yes" to "Who cares?" Similar threads have been started on LSU and Clemson message boards as well.
Googling the topic "Ryan Day Just for Men" generates an array of memes, social media posts and Reddit topics, as well as an article how Ben Affleck dyeing his beard led some to assume he must've been preparing for the starring role in the Ryan Day biopic. The haircare brand True Sons apparently wants search-engine navigators to believe theirs is the weapon of choice in Day's inevitable fight against gray beard hair. "Looking for Ryan Day Beard Dye? Hair and beard dye foam for men, delivered to door," their webpage reads.
Perhaps the most humorous aspect of this non-story story is that this is what drew the First Lady of Ohio State football into the fray. Mrs. Day tweeted Friday about a silent auction for a charity benefit, but before that she hadn't sent an original tweet since last November, congratulating son RJ on his high school football season. Prior to that, her next most-recent original tweet came in August 2023, congratulating her father for entering the Southern New Hampshire University athletics hall of fame. There are re-tweets mixed in there, sure, almost all of them supporting her husband and/or Ohio State football, but for the most part Nina Day keeps her tongue permanently bitten.
Think of all the things that have been said about her husband over the years. Ryan and Nina had to hire private security to watch their home because the atmosphere was so toxic in Columbus following the loss to November in Michigan, and through all that, Nina Day was stone silent.
But on the topic of Ryan Day's beard hair? She's heard enough. What a time to be alive.