What this NFL star said about attending a BYU basketball game

It’s been an eventful week for Joe Flacco, and he decided to cap it off with a visit to Provo.

The Cleveland Browns quarterback made an appearance at the Marriott Center Saturday night to catch BYU’s basketball contest against Kansas State just two days after being named the 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Flacco was joined by former BYU stars Austin Collie, Dennis Pitta and their families, with Flacco and Pitta having spent six seasons together as teammates with the Baltimore Ravens.

“He’s a converted BYU fan,” Pitta told BYUtv of his elite QB.

Flacco is best known for his 2013 Super Bowl MVP performance with the Ravens, where he led Baltimore to a 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

The Delaware product tossed three touchdowns in that game, including a 1-yard strike to Pitta in the second quarter.

Flacco was signed by the Browns midway through the 2023 campaign and threw for 13 scores and 1,616 yards in five games to rally Cleveland into the postseason.

The 16-year veteran has racked up 245 touchdowns and 43,936 yards across his career.

Collie, Pitta and Flacco received a warm ovation from the Marriott Center crowd upon being shown on the video board toward the end of the first half, prompting the trio to be approached for selfies and autographs throughout the remainder of the evening.

With the Cougars escaping Kansas State 72-66, can Flacco be counted on to keep backing BYU?

“As long as I’m here and I’m with these guys, why not?” Flacco told BYUtv’s Spencer Linton. “I love it here. I actually have a cousin that goes to school here, so it’s a family university.”