One of the more unique NFL traditions is what quarterbacks get their offensive linemen to celebrate Christmas.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow took that practice incredibly seriously, deciding to get each of the men who shield him every game some protection of their own.
After Thursday’s practice, Burrow presented the Bengals offensive linemen with authentic Japanese Katana swords.
Each sword has a unique design and comes with a back story from a certain town or battle, per The Athletic.
Burrow put them each in a room and let the linemen pick theirs out. There’s no word for those who were married what their wives’ reactions were to coming home with a sword.
‘Joe does a great job at buying gifts that are extremely meaningful,’ Orlando Brown told the outlet. ‘The fact that he bought me a sword, it’s the most ancient form of respect.’
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Burrow gave the Bengals linemen authentic Japanese Katana swords as Christmas presents
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The linemen were touched by the gifts with Orlando Brown citing an ‘ancient form of respect’
Fans were blown away by Burrow’s choice of gift for his offensive linemen, with many branding it ‘bada**’ on social media.
‘That’s a bada** gift!! Nicely done,’ wrote one user on X.
‘This is absolutely epic,’ said another.
A third simply put: ‘What a legend’.
While one Bengals fan joked: ‘We have linemen show up this weekend missing fingers I’ll be mad!!’
Katana’s were the weapons of choice of Japanese samurais generations ago and have found their way into popular culture in a few ways.
In the movie series ‘Kill Bill’, Katanas play a critical role in the storyline, made by a character based on real-life samurai Hattori Hanzo.
A Katana is also memorable in the series ’24’, as Jack Bauer’s final kill of villain Cheng Zhi takes place with the sharp sword.
Of the hundreds of kills the character played by Kiefer Sutherland performs in the series, the finale is the only one to feature the federal agent using a Katana.
The Bengals are 6-8 and will likely have to win the rest of their three regular season games to have a chance at making the postseason.
