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Joe Burrow stunned the football world last week after making worrying comments about his long-term commitment to playing professional football.
Burrow entered the league in 2020 but has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his budding career. He tore his ACL and MCL in his left knee during his rookie season, suffered a torn ligament in his right wrist in 2023 and missed several games this season with a turf toe injury.
“If I’m going to keep doing this, I’ve got to have fun doing it. I’ve been through a lot, and if it’s not fun, what am I doing it for? So that’s the mindset I try to bring to the table,” Burrow said.
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LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron celebrates with quarterback Joe Burrow after a win against the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff national championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. (Matthew Emmons/Imagn Images)
There are sure to be ups and downs throughout a football career, but the comments surprised even Burrows’ former coach, Ed Orgeron.
“I’ve never heard Joe sound like that, so it hit me, yeah,” Orgeron said in a recent interview with Pakinomist Digital. “But Joe’s going to come back. Joe’s a fighter. He could have had a bad day, so somebody could have told him something that set him off on the road over there. I don’t know, but I believe he’s a fighter, and I believe he’s got a lot of football left. I think he’s going to fight through it.”
Orgeron and Burrow will forever be linked as Burrow transferred to Orgeron’s LSU and went on to win the Heisman Trophy and a national championship on one of the greatest college football teams of all time. He parlayed all of that into going No. 1 five years ago and earning a lucrative NFL contract.
But Orgeron said he doesn’t want to cling to his former quarterback unless he feels he needs to.
LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron (left) with quarterback Joe Burrow after defeating the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff national championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
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“I believe if I feel like I have to reach out to him, I will. But I know there’s probably 25, 30 people who saw it, a million who would call them, 25 or 30 who are really close to him and maybe have reached out to him. But if the time comes when we have to talk, if he needs me, I’ll always be there,” he said.
“I text him once in a while. I’m not one to hang on to my players. I wish him the best of luck. We text maybe twice a year, but if I texted him right now and he wasn’t practicing, he’d get back to me in 30 seconds.”
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) runs off the field after an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Cincinnati, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals were officially eliminated from playoff contention Sunday after being shut out at home by the Baltimore Ravens. Burrow was 25-for-39 for 225 yards and two interceptions in the 24-0 loss.
