Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker is making headlines for his rendition of “Ave Maria” at Catholic Charities’ Christmas Festival at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore.
Tucker majored in music at Texas and can sing in seven languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Latin and Russian), according to the team’s website. He has been known to serenade his Longhorn teammates in the locker room and belt out arias for his NFL teammates during training camp. Ravens punter Sam Koch once told the New York Times, “I don’t think there’s a day that goes by that you don’t hear him singing some kind of opera.” ESPN has called him a “true renaissance man,” while the team’s website says the player’s opera singing skills are all part of his “lovable weirdness.”
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Breaking Down the 2024 Election Calendar
- How Nayib Bukele’s ‘Iron Fist’ Has Transformed El Salvador
- What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t as Bad as You Think?
- How Ukraine Beat Russia in the Battle of the Black Sea
- Long COVID Looks Different in Kids
- How Project 2025 Would Jeopardize Americans’ Health
- What a $129 Frying Pan Says About America’s Eating Habits
- The 32 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2024
Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com