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Ben Baby, ESPN Staff Writer
CINCINNATI — The Bengals had a special visitor at Thursday’s practice: country music star Luke Combs.
Combs stood and watched the bulk of a hot and humid practice session in downtown Cincinnati, one day before his scheduled back-to-back shows at Paycor Stadium.
Naturally, the multiplatinum artist drew a crowd on the Bengals’ sideline during a break in drills. Wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, defensive end Sam Hubbard and even team president Mike Brown were among those who met and greeted Combs.
“He was a really nice guy,” Hubbard told ESPN. “He was super down-to-earth, relatable. Cool to see all the guys interacting with him. Cool to see the owners talking to him when he was about to play in the stadium.”
.@lukecombs with the special guest appearance 👀 pic.twitter.com/8CG5oYZ6Pc
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 1, 2024
Linebacker Joe Bachie has been a massive Combs fan for nearly a decade and had the artist on his wedding playlist. When he saw Combs on the sideline, hanging out, Bachie immediately knew he had to grab a photo before the team started the next period of practice.
“I went up to my linebackers coach [James Bettcher] and said, ‘Yeah, I just fanboyed there for a second,'” Bachie, who will be attending one of Combs’ concerts in Cincinnati, said.
Higgins, who hails from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was plenty familiar with Combs, who moved to Nashville in 2014. The fifth-year receiver also appreciated that Combs wanted to catch some of practice.
“It shows that he’s actually invested in sports and not just an artist,” Higgins said. “It’s pretty cool.”
Combs is a notable Carolina Panthers fan who held his fantasy draft inside the team’s stadium back in 2022. This year, according to Hubbard, Combs will be making his picks inside the Bengals stadium he’ll call home for the next two nights.