Joe Burrow Explains The Career Path He Nearly Took While Riding Ohio State’s Bench
Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow's career path in football has been well documented.
He played high school ball in Athens, Ohio.
The son of a coach, he signed with Ohio State out of high school, but couldn't earn the starting job.
He transferred to LSU, started for two years, and in his senior season, broke a plethora of NCAA passing records, leading the Tigers to a dream 15-0 season, earning the distinction of being the best player on one of the best, or possibly the best, college football teams of all-time.
Following his two seasons at LSU, he was selected #1 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals.
In his second year with the Cincinnati Bengals, he won the AFC Championship, leading the Bengals to an appearance in the Super Bowl.
With all his success, it's hard to believe Burrow almost left football.
In a conversation with Chris Simms, Burrow opened up about self-doubt, sharing a story about when he considered leaving football to pursue investment banking.
“I was putting in the same work that I always put in, but I wasn’t playing. Of course, there was self-doubt in that moment," Burrow explained to Simms. "I mean, when you don’t play for three years – you’re putting in the work, you feel like you’re practicing well and can go out there and make plays but you don’t get the opportunity to show what you can do – it’s frustrating. There were times (when) I started updating my résumé, thinking about being an investment banker.”
Investment banking sounds like a nice hobby for Burrow at this point. It's fair to say football has worked out well for him.