Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is giving back in a major way to the communities that helped shape him.
In partnership with breakfast brand Kodiak — with whom Joe, 27, is an investor — the Joe Burrow Foundation is donating 9,999 meals (a nod to his #9 jerseys over the years) to three separate programs within Athens and Cincinnati, Ohio and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, (where Joe attended college at Louisiana State University).
All told, Joe and Kodiak are teaming up to donate 30,000 nutritious meals to thousands of students this back-to-school season.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Joe’s parents, Robin and Jim, explained how being charitable is a value that they helped instill in all three of their sons, including Joe’s older brothers, Jamie and Dan.
“We wanted them to understand that it’s important to look beyond yourself,” Robin explained. “To help when you can and try to be empathetic to others and understand other people’s positions in life. If there is something you can do that might help somebody else, you should do it.”
Jim gushed about the partnership, saying Kodiak is exactly the type of brand that his son “likes to align himself with.”
“They’re willing to be there with us and provide support and finances and food for people who just don’t have as much as you’d like them to have,” Jim said.
For more on The Joe Burrow Foundation, click here.
While Joe gets set to lead the Bengals into the upcoming season after suffering a season-ending wrist injury in Week 11 last year, his parents still marvel at how their son has become one of the most recognizable faces in all of the NFL.
“It’s still crazy and a little surreal,” Jim said. “We go to Games and we see all the Burrow jerseys. It emphasizes that we’re in a different world now as far as our son is concerned.”
On the flip side, Joe’s ascent in the Football world has also impacted how much his parents actually get to spend time with him.
“During the season we have limited access to him, even though we’re his mom and dad,” Jim said with a laugh. “He gets locked in. He doesn’t like seeing us the day before a Game. So we avoid that at all costs until after the Game. Little things like that have changed our relationship. He doesn’t come home as much as he used to because he’s got a lot going on.”
Recently, that involved Joe debuting a shocking new blonde buzzcut, which drew mixed reviews from members of his own family.
“I was the one that got the text message from him that said ‘I dyed my hair,’” Robin said. “That was the next week after he cut it really short. We had seen it cut really short because he had come home for a friend’s wedding. The next Wednesday morning, he sent a text saying ‘I dyed my hair.’ I was like, ‘Oh my god, send me a picture.’ I was like, ‘Well, alright!’”
While Robin managed to embrace Joe’s new look, calling herself “more open-minded,” Jim was a bit more critical of his son shaving off his iconic, wavy locks.
“Joe knows — I’m not saying this without him knowing it — he knows I’m not a big fan of it,” Jim admitted. “Robin is OK with it. I said, ‘If God gives you as good a set of hair as he has, you shouldn’t cut it off.’”
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While it might take some getting used to, Jim said he’s not so sure the new ‘do will be sticking around forever.
“It’s growing back, we’re thankful for that,” Jim noted. “I don’t think it’s his permanent hairstyle.”
