The Ravens have a tradition of embarrassing their rookies.
One by one, the newbies march in front of the entire team during training camp meetings and sing, tell a joke, or something of the sort to entertain the vets.
Kicker
Justin Tucker
saw it as an opportunity to impress.
He had already done a Christopher Walken impersonation near the start of camp. After watching terrible after terrible performances from his fellow rookies, Tucker decided to
volunteer for another round on the final day.
Nobody volunteers for public ridicule. But Tucker’s not your typical rookie, or kicker, or player, or person in general.
“I decided to put myself out there,” Tucker said. “These vets, they deserve more.”
Tucker told the team he was going to sing opera. He even gave them three options: sing in Italian, Russian or Latin.
In a packed auditorium of veterans and coaches, Tucker belted out famous Italian aria,
O Sole Mio, as if he were in a grand concert hall.
“Everybody’s jaw hit the ground,” linebacker
Jameel McClain
said. “Man, he’s pretty good!”
Since that day, Tucker hasn’t ceased to amaze and entertain his teammates.
He’s quickly become one of the biggest characters in the locker room, and a player that has seamlessly assimilated into the team unlike your average NFL kicker – especially for a rookie.
