Michael Phelps Joins NFL Team to Teach Players How to Swim

The Baltimore Ravens are making a splash this summer—but not on the football field.

Olympic legend Michael Phelps has officially agreed to help teach 17 Ravens players how to swim, after a viral plea from the team hit social media. The Ravens admitted that roughly a third of their roster never learned, and they turned to Baltimore’s hometown hero to fix that.

The creative campaign was led by defensive backs Marlon Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton, who teamed up with Ronnie Stanley and Charlie Kolar for a cheeky synchronized swimming video filmed inside the team’s training facility.

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“Hey Mr. Phelps, we have a problem,” Stanley begins in the video, before dramatically diving to the side.

“Did you know that 1 in 3 Ravens cannot swim?” Hamilton adds.

“We have a solution for you, sir,” says Kolar, with Humphrey wrapping it up: “Come to Ravens training camp in this beautiful aquatic center and teach the Ravens how to swim.”

Phelps, a longtime Ravens fan and proud Baltimore native, was quick to respond. “I got y’all!!! Let’s do it!!” he commented, officially accepting the challenge.

Kolar later admitted he didn’t expect the video to actually go public. “I thought it was going to be like a story or maybe sent to him,” he said after practice. “But I should have known better.”

This isn’t Phelps’ first time teaming up with the Ravens. He was introduced as a special guest back in 2004 and led the team onto the field again in 2012—just after winning four gold medals at the London Olympics. Now, at 40, the most decorated Olympian of all time is diving back into action in a new way.

While Phelps has been retired from competitive swimming since 2016, the Ravens are hoping he’ll help them stay afloat—at least in the pool. On the field, they’ve got their eyes on the Super Bowl, entering the season as the third favorite behind the Bills and the reigning champs, the Eagles.

With Phelps on deck, the Ravens might just have the most aquatic training camp in NFL history.