Report: Joe Burrow Earned LSU Teammates' Respect After Fight During Practice

The moment quarterback Joe Burrow earned the respect of the majority of his LSU teammates can be traced back to one practice, according to The Athletic's Brody Miller. 

Before Joe Burrow and LSU won the national title in 2019, the Heisman winning-quarterback was reportedly involved in a brawl during a scrimmage. At the time, Burrow and the offense were dominating the defense and the opposition was not thrilled about the thrashing. 

In defiance, safety JaCoby Stevens reportedly came after Burrow "off the edge on a red zone blitz" and took him to the ground. The hit was so hard that a teammate remembers Burrow's helmet coming off. 

Burrow then replied by instantly getting up and approaching Stevens, grabbing his face mask. The entire team then joined in on the brawl, with just Adrian Magee sitting it out for a water break. 

“Tory Carter comes in like a heat-seeking missile and takes somebody out, I can’t remember who,” one LSU staff member said.

According to Miller, many players from the 2019 LSU team point to this moment as the time Burrow first earned their respect. 

“Joe didn’t back down, and JaCoby, I think, respected him after that,” one person said. 

The team went on to post a 15-0 record during the season behind the top offense in the nation, averaging 48.4 points per game. Burrow set a single-season record with 60 touchdowns during the year. 

Burrow was chosen by the Cincinnati Bengals with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.