The roars of the crowd filled the stadium with cheers. The ball is snapped, the quarterback looks around for an open player. He starts rolling left out of the pocket as he runs from defenders. This is it, he just has to get this throw out and the game is over. As the ball left his hands, defensive linemen crashed into him. The pain he felt didn’t measure up to the struggles he would face over the next 10 months. All it took was one play to put his career on pause.

On Nov. 11th, the Cincinnati Bengals played against Washington for a spot in the playoffs. During the game, Joe Burrow tore his ACL, MCL and damaged other parts in his knee when he crashed into a defender. After 10 months of intensive physical therapy, Burrow is ready to make a comeback. 

The comeback of Joe Burrow serves as inspiration for high school athletes facing hard times. 

Burrow’s highlighting football career started when he played for Louisiana State University. Burrow is known for being a versatile player in the passing and rushing game as he led them to a championship title. He won the Heisman trophy after passing 5,000 yards and having an undefeated record in the 2019 season. With all of these accomplishments coming from the bayou city, Burrow hoped to bring his talents to the big leagues. In that same year, he was drafted first overall by the Cincinnati Bengals. His success didn’t stop there as he earned the QB1 position as a rookie. 

His season started off with a bang as he passed for 2,000 yards heading into rookie of the year contention. Unfortunately, this run was brief as he suffered from a season ending left knee injury. Despite his rookie year being cut short due to his injury, Burrow still continued to make an impact. He began helping communities around Cincinnati, Baton Rouge  and his home-town in Ohio. Making foundations and donating to charity helped push his platform as not only an athlete, but also as a role model. 

No matter the outcome, Burrow was still able to make a difference on and off the field. Though the recovery process of physical therapy and following COVID-19 protocols were tough, Burrow managed to fight through the obstacles and was cleared to play in the regular season. He is looking forward to leading his team back to playoff condency and bringing home a Super Bowl Championship Ring.