Thursday night's NFL Draft gifted a long-awaited - and much anticipated - present to fans of the Cincinnati Bengals: the Queen City's long-suffering team picked Heisman Trophy-winning former Louisiana State University quarterback Joe Burrow to join its ranks.
Chances are, you already know a lot about the 23-year-old wunderkind: he went to Athens High School before attending Ohio State University (where he largely sat the bench); he transferred to LSU for the mere promise of a shot; he, of course, ultimately led the Tigers to win the national title, and scored himself the Heisman Trophy along the way.
WVXU sought to uncover a few fun facts you might not know about Cincinnati's newest resident. From what we can tell, it seems like he'll fit right in.
He Doesn't Forget Where He Comes From
When accepting the Heisman, Burrow talked about his hometown of Athens and Southeast Ohio in general, which he called "a very impoverished area."
"I'm up here for all those kids in Athens and in Athens County that go home to not a lot of food on the table, hungry after school," he said. "And you guys can be up here, too."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq68naJBdW0&feature=youtu.be
Within 48 hours of that speech, more than $250,000 was donated to the Athens County Food Pantry. To date, the fund has more than $500,000.
The New York Times recently reported that once he is drafted, Burrow plans to lend his name to causes related to hunger and poverty.
Just this week, Bleacher Report noted how the former LSU quarterback erected a billboard in Baton Rogue thanking the college and the state for helping him get to where he is now.
Brett Favre Thinks He Could Take The Bengals To The Super Bowl
"I believe this is set up (perfectly) for him to go back home to lead his team," Favre said on Fox & Friends. "It may not be initially, but I mean, I think it's set up perfect and I don't know why you would do anything different." (Favre's gone to the Super Bowl twice – winning once – so we'd say he knows what it takes.)
Burrow's coach at LSU, Ed Orgeron, echoed the sentiment to The Times. "He came here with faith and built a championship team, and I don't see why he couldn't do it in Cincinnati," he said.
Not Only Is He Good At Football, He's Good At Word Hunt
In a recent Instagram Story, Burrow's girlfriend Olivia Holzmacher seized the opportunity for some well-earned bragging rights after beating him in the online game. "He's beaten (me) 64 times in Word Hunt so my mocking victory response is well earned and overdue," she wrote.
If You See Him On The Street, Don't Think That Autograph Will Be Free
According to Darren Rovell of The Action Network, Burrow signed an autograph memorabilia and collectables deal that charges $400 for a signed LSU game football and $600 for a signed full-size helmet. The deal also reportedly applies to any items from his new NFL team.
JUST IN: @Fanatics has signed @Joe_Burrow10 to a multi-year exclusive autograph memorabilia and collectibles deal that includes both LSU signed items as well as items signed with the logo of his new NFL team. His auto on an LSU game football is $400, on full size helmet is $600. pic.twitter.com/wwHZ3Ig6WE— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 23, 2020
He's 'Built' For Social Distancing
While many draft picks are likely lamenting the loss of a trip to Las Vegas, Burrow's friends say he doesn't mind, preferring to hang out in his childhood bedroom watching old game film and watching Netflix's Dirty Money, Louisiana's The Advocate reports.
"That guy is built for it," friend Zacciah Saltzman tells the outlet. "That guy's like a hermit, basically."
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