Uno Fields is Justin’s secret weapon

When you think of Justin Fields’ greatest strengths and what got him to where he is today, a few things might come to mind. His arm strength, his mobility, his leadership. Yeah, yeah, we know all of that. Obviously those things all contributed to his success, but what is the one thing that really changed his life? The switch to a vegan diet? The titles and accolades? His family? Okay, I can’t really argue with that one, but what I’m really talking about is Uno Fields — who I think more than qualifies as part of his family.

Now, if you live under a rock and don’t know who I am talking about, Uno is Justin’s French bulldog. More accurately, as Justin put it during his introductory press conference with the Chicago Bears, “He’s my best friend.”

Tell me that isn’t the cutest thing you’ve heard all day. And as cute as the name is, Justin isn’t even the one who came up with it; his teammates told him that he should name his new puppy “Uno”, since Justin wore No. 1 at Ohio State — and will with the Bears. The name stuck, and Justin made an Instagram page for his dog, too. I highly recommend you give it a follow @unofields. He doesn’t post very often, but when he does, it will put a smile on your face. Also, don’t feel bad about yourself and your social media following, but Uno probably has about 49,000 more Insta followers than you do. Well deserved in my opinion, however.

You may be asking yourself, okay great, we all love a cute puppy, but how did Uno make Justin into a star QB? Well, when he was at Georgia, Justin didn’t have Uno. And Jake Fromm was the starter. He comes to Ohio State, gets Uno, and becomes the starter. Coincidence? I think not.

I’m totally kidding (mostly), but I believe Uno does actually play a large role in his human’s life, especially over this past year. Any dog owner that is reading this knows the impact that the little fur babies can have on your health and happiness. Dogs are constant, loving companions whose sole purpose of living is to bring you joy.

Specifically during the pandemic, I know that I was lonely without a dog, so I was very happy when my family decided to get one to bring some serotonin into the house! Justin credits Uno for helping him get through the lonely period of time where he really couldn’t go anywhere besides practice and his apartment.

Ohio State kept its players under strict lockdown orders so that the virus didn’t spread amongst the team — and yet, it still happened. Therefore, the only physical contact that Fields would have with another living being that wasn’t on a football field would be with Uno!

This could be speculation, but I bet having and taking care of Uno really kept Justin stable during the pretty crappy days during the height of the pandemic. Justin has talked about how important routine is for both him and Uno; having to feed, play with, and take out very good dog helped maintain structure in his daily life.

Plus, I’m sure his mental health was (and still is) given a boost every time he even looked in his puppy’s direction. Overall, having a dog just makes your life better. Period. Prior to the draft, Justin said that wherever he goes, his dog will come with him. Windy City, get ready — the most powerful dynamic duo the city may ever see is coming to town in Justin and Uno Fields.