Bengals DE Sam Hubbard wants to win Super Bowl to honor Harambe

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard said on Pardon My Take that the team wants to win the Super Bowl for Harambe.

The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off their biggest win in recent memory, as they overcame a 21-3 deficit to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in the AFC Championship Game. They now have the chance to win the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history if they are to beat the Los Angeles Rams.

For Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard, he wants to win the Lombardi Trophy for someone in particular.

During an appearance on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast, Hubbard said the Bengals want to win the Super Bowl for Harambe, the gorilla who was killed at the Cincinnati Zoo back in 2016.

Sam Hubbard: Bengals want to win Super Bowl for Harambe

Back on May 28, 2016, a three-year-old boy climbed into the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. Harambe grabbed the child and dragged him around. After about 10 minutes, the zoo’s Dangerous Animal Response Team shot and killed Harambe after deeming the situation “life threatening.” Cincinnati Zoo president Thane Maynard said that even though Harambe did not attack the child, his strength posed as a threat.

Harambe’s death was mourned and he became a social media meme.

Hubbard played a huge role in the Bengals making it to their first Super Bowl ion over 30 years. With the Chiefs in position to score a game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of regulation, Hubbard pressured quarterback Patrick Mahomes on third down and forced a fumble, which was recovered by offensive guard Joe Thuney. That caused Kansas City to settle for a field goal to force overtime, and the Bengals won after forcing Mahomes to throw an interception.

Cincinnati’s defensive end recorded 62 combined tackles (12 for loss), 17 quarterback hits, 7.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble through 16 regular-season games. In the playoffs, Hubbard posted 14 combined tackles (three for loss), three quarterback hits, three sacks and one forced fumble.

The Bengals face off against the Rams in Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. ET, live from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.