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- Joe Burrow is 25 years old and Andrew Whitworth is 40 years old.
- The two former LSU Tigers formed a unique friendship during rehab and it’s stories like these that makes sports so great.
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Rams offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth, the oldest active player in the NFL, is 15 years older than Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. The age gap isn’t stopping their unlikely friendship.
When Los Angeles and Cincinnati take the field in the Super Bowl on Sunday, the two former LSU Tigers and former national champions will face off against one another. Prior to the game, Burrow shared an awesome story about how he and Whitworth became close during the past year.
In Week 11 of 2020, Burrow suffered a gruesome knee injury and tore his ACL and MCL. Around the same time, Whitworth also suffered a significant knee injury to his MCL and PCL.
Burrow underwent surgery in Los Angeles with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who works with the Rams. Meanwhile, Whitworth was working with ElAttrache to rehab his own knee injury.
ElAttrache ultimately set the two former Tigers up and introduced them to one another, sparking a very meaningful friendship. Burrow and his girlfriend, Olivia, went over to Whitworth’s house to watch some football. Burrow was the young man on crutches and Whitworth was the old man on crutches.
From that point forward, the two became great friends.
Ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl, Burrow spoke about what Whitworth meant to him as he went through a very difficult time in his life. He said that he didn’t know that many people in Los Angeles and was far away from the people he cared most about in life.
That’s where Whitworth made a big impact on Burrow.
“He kind of took me in and we had some good times hanging out, watching football, and talking about the Bengals and LSU and all that,” Burrow said. “So he’s become a good friend.”
Burrow, who turned 24 in December of 2020, even spent his birthday with Whitworth and his family. They became very close.
After the two got together for the first time, Whitworth texted Bengals coach Zac Taylor, who is actually two years younger. Taylor worked for the Rams prior to taking the Cincinnati job and became close with his veteran lineman.
“I said, ‘Man, you got a special one,” Whitworth said. “We all knew from the talent, the ability he played with in college, how good he was going to be. But sitting with him for that full day, I realized, ‘Man, this guy’s going to be a really, really special quarterback for quite some time.'”
Now, 14 months later, both Burrow and Whitworth are fully healthy. They will play one another in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Whitworth won a national championship at LSU in 2003, and Burrow won a national championship at LSU in 2020. Now, although they are in very different stages of their lives, they are both seeking their first Super Bowl win.