Before the Ravens home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs in September, Nic Cullison made a joke to his wife, Naomi.
“I told her if they won, I would get the score tattooed on me,” Cullison said.
After quarterback Lamar Jackson’s flip into the end zone, rookie Odafe Oweh’s forced fumble, and the Ravens’ fourth-down conversion to seal a comeback victory, Naomi Cullison made sure her husband lived up to his jest.
Naomi grabbed a tattoo gun she got a few weeks prior, then tattooed the game score and date on Nic’s thigh. When kicker Justin Tucker nailed a 66-yard field goal to beat the Detroit Lions the following week, Nic got another tattoo.
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Now, with eight Ravens wins and tattoos and counting, Nic Cullison has adorned himself as the “Ravens tattoo guy.” His efforts have earned attention on social media, as well as from Ravens players themselves.
“It’s just entertaining,” Cullison said. “I messaged back and forth with [center] Bradley Bozeman and [wide receiver] Tylan Wallace, and they’re viewing my [Instagram] story each week, so it’s just been a cool experience.”
With the Ravens enduring a five-game losing streak and barely hanging in the playoff race despite an 8-3 start, Cullison is disappointed with how the season unfolded but doesn’t regret getting the tattoos.
“This whole thing was me and my wife doing something that my family and friends would think is great,” he said. “It’s definitely been a fun ride.”
Cullison grew up in Joppatowne but serves in the Navy and lives in Oklahoma with Naomi and their 3-year-old daughter, Raelyn. He grew up a Ravens and Orioles fan and said he streams every Ravens game, no matter what. In 2017, he proposed to Naomi in the dugout at Camden Yards. They even got matching Orioles tattoos.
Cullison has been getting tattoos since he was 18. His arms are covered, including a tattoo dedicated to his father, who died of cancer, on his right biceps.
“I was born and raised in the whole Baltimore sports community,” Cullison said. “My dad was a die-hard Ravens fan. It [would] be crazy to see him experience all this because I know he [would] be loving it.”
Naomi Cullison, a licensed aesthetician, is not a professional tattoo artist but has a strong passion for it. When Naomi was in the Navy, she drew tattoo designs for her friends. After Naomi purchased a tattoo gun, she started using it on herself before designing tattoos destined for Nic’s dermis.
The morning after the Ravens rallied to beat the Chiefs in their home opener on Sept. 19, Nic woke up to over 25,000 notifications on his phone. Amid the countless Instagram and Twitter comments, some people criticized the tattoo’s lack of creativity. Naomi was not happy.
“The few [comments] that I saw lit a fire under my [butt] and I’m better than that,” Naomi said. “So I was like, you can’t design it. It’s up to me.”
Since Nic is a football junkie, Naomi asks him what type of design he wants. She would go on Google to look up the correct stencils and logos. After Naomi sketches a design, she takes the tattoo gun, then goes to work. According to Nic, the process takes two to three hours after Ravens wins.
“I’ve never had to deal with any [internet] trolls or anything like that,” he said of some of the negative comments. “But the second week, they started getting slimmer. And the third week they got slimmer. Now people are waiting for it. [There’s] no more negative stuff.”
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The inspiration behind each of Nic’s tattoos is unique. After the Ravens defeated the Indianapolis Colts in an overtime thriller in Week 5, he got “Let’s get this ‘B’” tatted on him, in reference to what Jackson told ESPN reporter Lisa Salters during the postgame interview.
When the Ravens defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9, Cullison wanted to make fun of the Vikings’ Skol chant. So, Naomi tatted “Let’s Skol Ravens” on his thigh.
Nic’s most recent tattoo, from the Ravens’ 16-10 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 12, said, “Refs 10 vs. Ravens 16.” He believes Browns tight end David Njoku’s receiving touchdown shouldn’t have counted.
The ball “literally bounced off the ground, and they gave him a touchdown even after the review,” Nic said. “The only reason they had 10 points was because of the [referees], so that’s why I put that.”
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In addition to Wallace and Bozeman, Jackson has noticed Nic’s unique way of showing his fandom.
“That’s different,” Jackson said in September. “We’ve just got to keep winning for him.”
Every Ravens tattoo is on Nic’s right thigh.
Naomi said she feels like a proud mom whenever a Ravens player shows appreciation for Nic’s tattoos.
“I’ve never met a more die-hard fan of any sport,” Naomi said. “It’s like seeing him in a candy shop if he was a little kid. It’s so cute.”
Even though the Ravens’ season hasn’t gone as planned, Nic said he is more than likely to continue getting Ravens-themed tattoos in the future.
“I have talked to my wife about it,” he said, “and I don’t think we’re done yet.”
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