Ric Flair stories are cropping up all over the place now that the Nature Boy is bouncing back from a scary medical incident and celebrating his new 30 For 30. The WWE legend has a lot of friends and well-wishers, and on Friday we learned the wonderful story of one friendship’s origin.
It turns out one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the NFL is also friends with Flair. Atlanta Falcons wideout Julio Jones and Flair are friends, and the nautical tale of how that happened is pretty insane.
Flair told ESPN about their meeting, and the relationship with the Falcons that stemmed from their initial meeting.
But first, please look at this Tweet.
https://twitter.com/mortreport/status/923948824594407425
Isn’t it glorious? What could it mean? Did Julio Jones zoom by on a jet ski and make Ric Flair turn his head like in a terrible 80s movie where the nerdy girl gets a makeover and suddenly the dream guy notices her?
Yes. That’s exactly what happened.
Flair said he was driving his Formula boat on Lake Lanier two years ago when two guys riding Jet Skis approached, asking if he would like to race one of them.
“He blew by me,” Flair said. “And I’m like, ‘S—, this guy is a nut.'”
Turns out the movies are right: You gotta turn some heads if you wanna land the Nature Boy.
Flair’s friendship with Jones has made him a big fan of the Falcons, who have embraced him in kind. Mohammad Sanu wore Flair-inspired cleats earlier in the season, and Flair had great things to say about how the team has embraced him over the years.
“I talk to Julio on a regular basis,” Flair told ESPN. “I’m such a fan. I honestly have done a lot of stuff with sports teams, but the Falcons treat me with more respect than anything. They are a great bunch of guys. Julio is just unbelievable. So is [Devonta] Freeman. Matt Ryan is a hell of a guy.”
Flair homes that, like him earlier this year, the Falcons can make a comeback and salvage what’s been a tough season. If Flair’s any motivating factor, I’m sure the team will be just fine.
