The Cincinnati Bengals not only have a star quarterback, but a thoughtful one as well. Joe Burrow has been outspoken in his support for the black community since the George Floyd protests in 2020, and the former Heisman Trophy winner continues to denounce racism.
Burrow discussed the topic with NFL retiree Ryan Clark, via Clark's social media.
“Bengals star QB @joeyb was one of the first quarterbacks to publicly back his black teammates & their communities during the 2020 protest in the wake of George Floyd’s murder,” Clark said. “Defensive Stalwart @djread said an emotional Burrow told the story of racism faced by his high school teammate during a team meeting.”
The beauty of sports is that it forces people of different cultures and backgrounds to coexist and work for a common goal. Burrow was no stranger to this as a teenager, even if his hometown was mostly white.
“Burrow grew up in a small Ohio town where there wasn’t much diversity,” Clark continued. “The racism he watched his friends experience prepared him to make an “easy” decision to stand on the RIGHT side of history. This wasn’t his ‘responsibility', but he feels you should do everything you can for the world & people you care about.”
What happened on Burrow's high school squad that gave him this perspective?
Joe Burrow is a mature presence on and off the field for the Bengals
Burrow witnessed his AAU teammate deal with racism in high school, which developed the talented signal-caller's empathy.
“The story that I told, it was actually after a football game,” Burrow explained. “Growing up where I grew up, southeastern Ohio, Appalachia, it's a very underprivileged community. There's not a lot of black folks in that area. You see a lot of hate in certain places. That's not easy to see your friend going through something like that. So that really affected me during that time.”
It's one thing to grow up in a diverse environment, but it can be tougher for people without that experience to open their eyes to the perils of racism. Burrow, though, won't allow himself to be complicit after seeing what happened to his friend.
“I've seen it from when I was little, and when you see it affect somebody like that, I feel like you get a different perspective on it than the majority of the population I would say,” Burrow continued. “I would say a lot of people haven't seen it, and lived it, and that's not an easy thing to go through. So I always try to help in any way that I can. I think with the platform that we have, it's not necessarily a responsibility, but you're not doing everything you can for the world and for the people you care about if you're not helping in some way.”
While Burrow continues to champion inclusion and equality off the field, he also continues to be highly regarded for his football abilities. The fourth-year veteran was ranked first in multiple categories this preseason, via ESPN's Dan Orslovsky. These included ball placement and mechanics, in addition to being second in other areas.
As Burrow ages, he's only gaining more respect both on and off the field. Whether or not he ever brings a championship to Cincinnati, though, NFL fans will remember him for how he used his platform.
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