Star NFL QB Joe Burrow is a dirty, dirty Ness main in Super Smash Bros.

But is he a cool Ness? Or does he spam PK Fire from the pocket?
Images via Nintendo and Joe Burrow on Instagram | Remixed by Cale Michael

No one is immune to the lure of playing games with friends when a big group is together, and when you get a group of the most competitive men in the world in a small space for a long period of time, things can get heated. In the case of the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, this usually devolves into players huddling around a Nintendo Switch to play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate—and star Quarterback Joe Burrow has a nasty secret. 

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In a recent media interview as the Bengals prepare to face the Kansas City Chiefs for the NFL’s AFC Championship title and a spot in Super Bowl on Jan. 29, Burrow confirmed that he enjoys playing Smash while the team travels and during his off days. 

According to the interview, Burrow typically plays the game on flights or on days with no football—sometimes alongside his teammates. He didn’t go into too much detail about his playstyle, but Burrow confirmed two things: Linebacker Clay Johnston is one of the best players on the team, and his own Smash main is Ness. 

“I’m a Ness main,” Burrow said. “Nobody knows what that means. That’s ok. That’s some nerd stuff around here.”

Considering this is Ultimate Burrow is talking about, largely because he mentions playing on the go a lot while traveling to and from away games, he gets to avoid the Melee memes about the character being one of the worst in the game. However, it does not get him out of being labeled a degenerate.

We would have to see actual gameplay before the community can confirm that label, but Ness mains get a bad rap due to how often they spam PK Fire, PK Thunder, or try to smack everyone in the face with a baseball bat. 

It might not be a good look at a base level, but maybe Burrow’s swagger on and off the football field translates to the traditionally campy character—potentially making him one of the rare examples of a “Cool Ness.” 

Either way, Burrow is clearly a big fan of Smash, going as far as to put the game in his bio on Twitter and appears happy to talk about it to anyone who will ask. 

This isn’t the first instance of an NFL star showing interest in Smash, as former All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell not only plays the game a lot but recently said that he wants to host the biggest tournament the game has ever seen. There are plenty of other examples of football players getting into esports too, such as Philadelphia Eagles running back Boston Scott and Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray

Who knows, maybe this information getting spread around will lead to Burrow somehow becoming more involved in the competitive Smash scene like Bell has. And, should that happen, perhaps the community can talk him out of playing Ness.


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Author
Cale Michael
Lead Staff Writer for Dota 2, the FGC, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and more who has been writing for Dot Esports since 2018. Graduated with a degree in Journalism from Oklahoma Christian University and also previously covered the NBA. You can usually find him writing, reading, or watching an FGC tournament.