NEWSJ.D. Vance Laughed at by Critics as He Gets Snubbed by Some Bengals Players During Surprise Visit to Team's Training Facility: 'Total Humiliation'
J.D. Vance visited the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice facility on Wednesday, October 21.
Oct. 23 2026, Published 6:54 p.m. ET
Most Cincinnati Bengals players appeared to ignore Vice President J.D. Vance during his surprise visit to the team’s training facility in Ohio.
A video of the encounter has circulated on social media since it was posted on Wednesday, October 21, and it shows Vance standing by a walkway as several team players walk past in a line.
Only one stopped long enough to shake his hand.
Only One Player Stopped in the Viral Clip
Tight end Drew Sample was the only player in the viral clip to shake Vance’s hand.
Charlie Clifford, the sports director for NBC 5 Cincinnati, filmed the 18-second clip and posted it with the caption, “J.D. Vance greets Bengals players on the way out.”
Tight end Drew Sample can be seen fist-bumping Vance’s son, Vivek, and then briefly shaking the vice president’s hand, according to a report.
The other players in the clip walked past Vance, who arrived at the Kettering Health practice fields with a large police presence. After it was posted on X, the video went viral and racked up more than 2.6 million views, Newsweek reported.
Other Videos Showed Friendlier Moments
Head coach Zac Taylor also shook Vance's hand during the visit.
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Not every moment of the visit was awkward. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor shook hands with Vance before heading into the locker room, and a Cincinnati Enquirer reporter caught the interaction on camera. There’s also footage of Vance interacting with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
It’s also unknown whether the players deliberately ignored Vance or were just heading to practice. Neither Vance nor the Bengals have commented on the video.
Joe Burrow Said He Didn’t Get to Meet Vance
Quarterback Joe Burrow said he didn’t get a chance to interact with Vance.
When reporters asked Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow if he had a chance to interact with Vance during the visit, he replied, “We did not. A lot of people around.”
Some social media users reacted negatively to the video. Singer-songwriter Bill Madden posted on X, “This is what TOTAL HUMILIATION looks like,” and NFL commentator Dov Kleiman posted that “the large majority of the team did not shake his hand or even acknowledge Vance.”
Kentucky Democrat Amy McGrath also wrote, “I wouldn’t want to shake his hand either.”
Vance Visited Ahead of a Campaign Rally
Vance stopped by before a campaign rally supporting Vivek Ramaswamy and other Republicans.
Vance, a native of Middletown, Ohio, has described himself as a lifelong Bengals fan. He visited the Bengals’ practice fields before a campaign rally in Sharonville, a Cincinnati suburb, to support Republicans, including gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. On Wednesday, Vance also praised an ad from Ramaswamy that calls Ramaswamy’s Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, a liar.
The stop came as the Trump administration increased campaign travel ahead of the midterm elections on Tuesday, November 3. Earlier on Wednesday, Vance held a press conference at the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office to discuss a new task force intended to eliminate fraud within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
