Biden’s Super Bowl prediction: ‘Loves’ Bengals’ quarterback, but Rams ‘hard to beat’
Asked for his Super Bowl prediction, President Biden said he loves Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, but added the Los Angeles Rams will be “hard to beat.”
At the end of a sit-down interview with the president, “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt said, “You can’t wrap up an interview like this without asking: Cincinnati or Los Angeles?”
“Well, my teams are out. And I love this young quarterback from Cincinnati. He’s an Ohio boy, can make everybody happy, but we also have some, you know, I think Los Angeles is gonna be hard to beat,” Biden responded.
Burrow, along with former Louisiana State University teammate wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, has led the Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1988.
However, the Rams, with high-priced stars on both offense and defense, are favored to win the game.
Super Bowl LVI is set to kick off around 6:30 p.m. EST, with the halftime show to feature Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige.
The American Gaming Association this week predicted that nearly 31.5 million Americans would place bets on the Super Bowl, worth around $7.6 billion.
The president and first lady Jill Biden are Philadelphia Eagles fans, with both publicly celebrating the team’s Super Bowl win in 2018.
He also famously joked with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady during the team’s visit to the White House to celebrate its 2020 Super Bowl win.
“I think about 40 percent of people still don’t think we won. You understand that, Mr. President?” Brady asked Biden, in a nod to those skeptical of Biden’s victory, amid false claims from former President Trump and others casting doubt on the outcome.
“I understand that. I understand that!” Biden responded.
The Super Bowl comes as the NFL is facing intense scrutiny after former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the league and three teams alleging racial discrimination in hiring practices.
The league also said it will conduct its own investigation into new sexual misconduct allegations against Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder.
Biden told Holt in the interview recorded Thursday that the NFL hasn’t lived up to its own “reasonable standard” for hiring more minorities.
“And, you know, the commissioner pointed out, they haven’t lived up to what they committed to, they haven’t lived up to being open about hiring more minorities to run teams, and whether or not, you know, Goodell says they’re gonna take a look at what, whether they can meet the standard,” Biden told Holt.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.