When you think of guys named Joe associated with tigers, you probably either think of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow or notorious “Tiger King” Joe Exotic.
The former is currently trying to find his form on the NFL field as he hopes to take the Bengals back to the Super Bowl.
The latter remains in federal prison over numerous charges, including his role in a murder-for-hire plot on animal rights activist Carole Baskin.
Now, Joe Exotic is asking Joe Burrow for a little bit of help, even if he didn’t spell his name correctly.
In a letter to “Joe Burrows,” Joe Exotic has called on the Bengals quarterback to do “a good deed” and help him raise $20,000 to hire attorneys.
“Maybe paying it forward, God might help you get to the SuperBowl this year and I could go home for Christmas,” said Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Allen Maldonado. “Then we can work together to stop animals from being in a cage.”
Here's my letter to @JoeyB
Help stop this injustice done to me and then let's go keep animals from being in a cage together #tigerking #freejoeexotic pic.twitter.com/V96cwkNQDk — Joe Exotic (@joe_exotic) September 14, 2023
Exotic accused Burrow of calling himself the Tiger King, which was the name of the Netflix documentary about Exotic.
“My life has been destroyed, my parents have died and I continue to fight cancer and 2 incurable diseases while you all ride fame and attention off my life’s hard work,” wrote Exotic.
Burrow played for the LSU Tigers in college before joining the Bengals, named after the Bengal tiger. Hence the nickname, though it’s not one people use very often anymore for the NFL quarterback.
For his part, Burrow has previously said that he has never seen Tiger King, and the nickname was presumably bestowed upon him, not started by him.
“I just wasn’t really into the show too much, so I didn’t really watch it,” Burrow said.
It’s unlikely Exotic’s efforts here will lead to anything, but that didn’t stop people from having thoughts about the attempt.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.