Ravens first-round pick Ronnie Stanley got his welcome-to-the-NFL spotlight moment on the first day of training camp. And, no, it didn't come from a veteran pass rusher.
Per Ravens training camp tradition, each rookie performs in front of the entire team as part of an ongoing talent show. As the sixth-overall pick, Stanley was first called to the stage.
Stanley had memorized the lyrics to R. Kelly's "Ignition (Remix)," but there was a surprise in store. Wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. had bought him a chicken suit to perform in.
Yup, Stanley sang R. Kelly in a chicken suit.
"I didn't actually know about the chicken suit until yesterday during the day," Stanley said. "Steve Smith happened to do some shopping and ended up getting a suit that actually fit. So, I couldn't use that excuse.
"Since I was going first, I definitely had to set the tone."
The suit was a bit small on the 6-foot-6, 320-pound left tackle. The chicken feet were supposed to extend past his ankles, but ended just below his knees.
Word is that, by the end, Stanley had the whole auditorium singing along.
"I knew it was a crowd pleaser," Stanley said.
"He did a great job," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "It's nice when your first-round pick, effectively the leader of that rookie class, is able to step up and make a statement: 'We'll hve some fun, and I can fit in.'"
By the sounds of it, there may be more performances in costumes coming for the rookies. Beware, guys.
"There seems to be a number of costumes that have recently shown up at the Under Armour Performance Center, courtesy of FedEx," Harbaugh said with a laugh.
"We have fun. We don't haze. We say the fun stops where disrespect or abuse begins. Sometimes we have to define respect. (laughs) That was fun."
Don't worry. We're trying to get the video.
