Joe Burrow, the Bengals‘ fourth-year quarterback, first gave back to help those with food insecurities where he grew up in Ohio and in Louisiana, where he played college football.
But mental health, especially in chiidren, also was a priority when he created his foundation in October 2022. He’s expanding on that now, picking up the costs of 20 familes who sought mental health treatment at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
His parents, Robin and Jimmy Burrow, help run Joe’s foundation. And they recently spoke about the latest donations during a MentalHealthGames podcast.
Jimmy told the podcast: “The first thing we did was, there were about 20 families at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital that had mental health issues and were getting treatment there. The families had trouble paying the bills, so we started thinking ‘well, let’s see how many we can pay.’
“Then there were about 20 of them,” Jimmy Burrow said. “So we just couldn’t decide so we paid for 20 families’ mental health bills.”
Robin Burrow also provided some background as to why Joe believes there should be a focus on recognizing and treating mental health.
“When I started teaching, I would come home and tell little stories of things that were breaking my heart,” she said on the podcast. “It’s sad when families don’t have the resources or the means to be able to get the things that they need.
“So I think that he (Joe Burrow) heard a lot of stories and took them to heart.”
Joe Burrow and his veteran teammates are back training with each other for the second phase of their off-season program. Cincy could be the second-best team in the NFL only after the Chiefs. The Bengals social media team shared some snapshots and video from the workouts. And the big news of May is Burrow’s choices in headbands. (Oh, and he’s wearing one). He’s that sort of fashion influencer. (Phase three is organized team drills, which start later this month).
Headband Joe: Unlocked
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) May 15, 2023
Offseason Workouts | @KetteringHealth pic.twitter.com/dVkzuEvlxM
Burrow really is having an unencumbered kind of off-season. The Bengals recently decided to pick up his fifth-year option. That’s for 2024. Cincy likely did so to indicate they want to keep negotiating for a more significant second contract. If nothing gets done, Burrow would earn nearly $30 million during his fifth year.
The Bengals announced their agreement with Joe Burrow two days before last month’s NFL Draft. The team, in a statement to the media, described the fifth-year option as “a mechanical step along the way,” The Bengals indicated they will “continue working with Burrow and his representatives” on a new long-term deal. Burrow was the top pick of the 2020 draft.
