Dealing with cultural differences is no easy feat. We all know the NFL is mostly dominated by Americans. Now, imagine someone of mixed race coming in and managing to make a name for themselves. That’s quite an achievement, right? Andrei Iosivas, the WR for the Bengals, is making waves this season. A black belt in Taekwondo, Andrei’s first love has always been football. But his NFL journey wasn’t a piece of cake. He had to cross oceans to make his dream of playing in the NFL come true.

Andrei made his NFL debut in 2023 with the Cincinnati Bengals. All of you might know about his performance and stats, but let’s dive into his roots, ethnicity, and nationality before we catch a glimpse of him in the upcoming match against the Cowboys.

Where is Andrei Iosivas from?

Born in the capital of Japan, Tokyo, to a Romanian father, Mihai Iosivas, and a Filipino mother, Evelyn, Andrei has Romanian-Filipino-American roots. You might wonder how he has American roots. Well, he was born in Tokyo, but his parents relocated to Honolulu when he was 4 years old. Known for its beautiful beaches and ports, the city has a lot of people from Asian and Pacific cultures. Well, now you can probably see where his love for football started.

“Football is his first love. He only wanted to run track to get faster as he started playing football”, his father recalled. After finishing high school, Andrei Iosivas moved to New Jersey after getting an offer from Princeton University. Whoa! An Ivy League graduate, that’s a big flex. He started playing for the Princeton Tigers, and his teammates and coaches had a hard time pronouncing his last name. “When I was a freshman in college, people actually called me Yoshi for two weeks. And I was like don’t call me that. I wanted people to call me Andrei”, recalled the Bengals WR while talking about his football days at Princeton.

The struggle to teach people how to pronounce your name is so real. Because he was born in Tokyo, the 25-year-old didn’t get U.S. citizenship until he was 17. Andrei’s mother speaks three languages, and both his parents are fluent in Japanese. Surprisingly, the WR had no interest in learning languages; he was all about football.

What is Andrei Iosivas’ religion?

Religion is something very personal. While Andrei Iosivas was born a Christian, he’s never really talked about his religious beliefs. But you can always talk to him about food. The Bengals WR is a big foodie. He loves Japanese food, hot puff Cheetos, and watermelon. The 25-year-old even has a highlight for Cheetos on his Instagram profile. Well, can’t blame him, who doesn’t love Cheetos? When he’s not on the field, Andrei loves to watch The Office with his longtime girlfriend, Logan Harlock. The two met during their days at Princeton and have been together ever since.

Although it’s only his second season with the Bengals, he has formed a strong bond with his teammate, fellow WR Ja’Marr Chase. They have their own thing called the ‘bird call’ to interact with each other on the field. We love the friendships in the NFL, and they always lighten up those intense situations.

The Princeton alum has been putting up solid numbers on the board so far. This season (2024), he has accumulated 309 yards, scoring five touchdowns. He is currently averaging 13.4 yards per catch. Hopefully, he’ll put up more impressive stats in the upcoming games.