Why Joe Burrow’s parents almost didn’t get to see son’s NFL debut on television
By Zach Ragan
Former LSU football quarterback Joe Burrow recently made his NFL debut.
Former LSU football quarterback Joe Burrow made his NFL debut earlier this month in Cincinnati, just three hours from his parents’ home in Athens, OH.
But because of the coronavirus pandemic, fans weren’t allowed inside Paul Brown Stadium for the Bengals’ season-opener.
That meant Burrow’s parents were forced to watch their son on television — something they didn’t have to do for any of the 15 LSU games last season.
And they almost missed it because of their cable company.
Joe Burrow’s parents had to make some television provider changes to watch their son’s debut
Because of the way NFL television contracts work, the CBS affiliate in Columbus, OH (which broadcasts to Athens) had to choose in week one whether to air the Cleveland Browns’ game against the Baltimore Ravens at 1 PM ET or the Bengals’ game against the Los Angeles Chargers at 4 PM ET.
The cable company chose the Browns’ game, which put the Burrows in a pickle.
According to The Athletic’s Jay Morrison, the Burrows had to scramble to get DirecTV to come out and install a satellite so the family could get the NFL Sunday Ticket package. That was the only option for the Burrows to watch the Bengals game.
Morrison asked Burrow’s dad whether or not he had to “pull any strings” to get the satellite installed in time, to which he replied, “I’m not going to comment on that. Let’s just say we got it done in time to watch”.
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Fortunately for the Burrows, they were able to watch their son’s debut on television. And this past week, they were able to see him in person in Cleveland for the Bengals’ loss to the Browns.