Joe Exotic Appeals To NFL Star Joe Burrow For Prison Release

The story of Joe Exotic has taken plenty of twists and turns over the past few years, and now, it's taking a new one. The former zookeeper has written a letter to Joe Burrow in hopes that the Bengals quarterback can help get him out of prison.

That entire opening paragraph sounds like something that someone totally made up, but we can assure you that is not the case here.

Exotic -- whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage -- is currently serving 21 years in a federal prison after being convicted of trying to have Carole Baskin killed. In his letter to Burrow, Exotic seems to think that the NFL star should help him out financially because people refer to the Bengals quarterback as the "Tiger King," which happens to be Exotic's nickname.

"I see the news, magazines as well as yourself calling you the Tiger King," Exotic wrote in the letter. "Everyone in the world is exploiting me and and my trademarks while I sit innocent in an American Federal Prison. I have been the Tiger King before you got out of high school. Tiger King is my trademark and intellectual property. My life has been destroyed ... while you all ride fame and attention off my life's work."

Exotic then added that he's been wrongfully imprisoned and that he would like Burrow to help him raise $20,000 because he's run out of money to pay his attorneys.

"Since everyone is enjoying the fame of being the Tiger King I'm suffering wrongfully in prison in a cage," Exotic wrote. "How about doing a good deed and helping me raise $20,000 for a down payment to hire attorneys."

Exotic also pointed out that if Burrow does help him, there might be some good karma coming his way.

"Maybe paying it forward, God might help you get to the Super Bowl this year," Exotic wrote.

If you're reading this story, you probably know who Joe Exotic is, but if you don't, he's the tiger trainer who shot to fame during the pandemic thanks to a Netflix documentary called "The Tiger King."

As for Burrow, Exotic might want to start looking elsewhere for financial help, because there's a good chance the Bengals QB isn't going to be helping even though he just signed a record-setting five-year, $275 million contract.

Burrow was asked his thoughts about his Tiger King nickname back in November and he didn't seem to be a huge fan of it.

"I don't like that one that much," Burrow said of his Tiger King nickname. "I don't like that show. I have not seen the show, because I don't like seeing animals in cages, I don't really like that. So I didn't see the show, so I don't like that nickname."

As things currently stand, Burrow might be retired before the 58-year-old Exotic gets out of jail.