The Baltimore Ravens are calling in the big guns… to teach them how to swim?
Legendary Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps says he will provide lessons to his hometown NFL team, which posted a plea for his help and claimed that a third of its players—around 17—never learned how to swim.
Defensive backs Marlon Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton were reportedly the brains behind the plea. Ronnie Stanley and Charlie Kolar joined them to pull off a creative synchronized swimming routine that called for Phelps’ help on Instagram.
“Hey Mr. Phelps, we have a problem,” Stanley says to start the video, before diving to the side.
“Did you know that 1 in 3 Ravens cannot swim?” says Hamilton next, before diving himself.
“We have a solution for you, sir,” Kolar said.
“Come to Ravens training camp in this beautiful aquatic center and teach the Ravens how to swim,” Humphrey said, ending the clip.
Phelps, a known Ravens super fan, said they had convinced him.
“I got y’all!!! Let’s do it!!” he commented on the video.
Kolar told reporters after practice on Thursday that he did not think Humphrey would actually post the video—recorded inside a pool at the Ravens’ training facility—to his Instagram feed.
“I thought it was going to be like a story or maybe sent to him, but I should have known better. I should have known better,” he said.
Phelps is no stranger to the Ravens. The team introduced him as their special guest at a game in 2004 and did so again eight years later. On the latter occasion, Phelps, fresh off winning four gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics, led the team’s offense onto the field.
The 40-year-old remains the most decorated Olympian of all time, having won a total of 28 medals, 23 of which were gold.
Phelps has been retired since 2016, but his Ravens have a decent chance of bringing home some hardware of their own this season. They are the third favorite to win the Super Bowl, trailing only the Buffalo Bills, who they face in Week 1, and the reigning champs, the Philadelphia Eagles.
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