During the summer of 2020, a rookie Joe Burrow had the tough task of winning over a locker room full of veterans. Also happening during that time, cities across the country were outside protesting the death of George Floyd in what was a truly tumultuous time in America. Burrow, while in the middle of an emotional meeting with his new Bengals teammates, shared a story about a player on his high school basketball team who experienced racial discrimination.
The Bengals held a meeting in August during the aftermath of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killing Floyd, which sparked protest and outrage nationwide. Burrow reportedly made a strong first impression on his teammates during this meeting by sharing a story that he says changed his perspective on life and vowed to fight against racism for the rest of his life.
"He won the team over real quick -- every leader has that moment," a former Bengals staff member said, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler's report.
According to Fowler's report, Burrow's story stems from a time his black teammate experienced racial discrimination during a high school basketball game growing up in Athens, OH. During that game, Burrow said people in the stands were yelling racial slurs at his friend. Burrow described feeling shaken and upset during the game and what it felt like afterward as the two of them sat in the back of the team bus.
Bengals defensive tackle D.J. Reader, who is black, recalls the moment, stating Burrow broke down while sharing his story.
"He kind of broke down talking about it," Reader said. "He's a guy who stood there and he supported his friend as he should because you know it's not right. As a person it meant a lot to hear how he stood up for him. [Racism] is not something he's not just now learning."
Reader continues, saying it was great to hear "someone on the opposite side" stand up for black people and praised Burrow for displaying his innate leadership abilities during what was a tough time for a lot of players and Americans in general.
"He stands on what he says," Reader said.
While Burrow wasn't available to comment on ESPN's report, Joe's dad Jimmy spoke with ESPN to confirm his son's story, telling Fowler that Burrow told him about the story the night after the game. The elder Burrow said hearing the story was "disappointing for all of us" and "heartbreaking."
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"I think it opened his eyes that something like that could happen," Jim said of his son. "For us, just the normal core values we grew up with: Always show respect, treat people with respect no matter who they are, what their background is, and be willing to help others when you can."
The second-year signal-caller has definitely earned the respect of his teammates on the field but established himself as a leader off it long before he even took a snap in the NFL.
"When he does [speak], everybody listens," cornerback Mike Hilton said.
Burrow has a chance to win Cincinnati their first Super Bowl title in franchise history in only his second year as they take on the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday.
Follow Jasper Jones on Twitter: @jonesj2342
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