The Cleveland Browns’ victory over the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers on Sunday (Oct. 15) was labeled a miraculous upset. But for true inspiration, many people are pointing to Browns tight end David Njoku. On Sept. 29, the seventh-year NFL pro suffered burn injuries to his face and hands while trying to light a backyard fire pit.
The next day, Njoku, 27, posted on social media, “The flesh is weak.” And the day after that, he played in his team’s game against Baltimore, catching a team-high six passes. Njoku showed up for that contest wearing a huge mask, but he didn’t stay covered for long.
Now the athlete, who’s proud of both his Nigerian heritage and his Christian faith, is opening up about the accident and why he’s displaying his scars.
Video: #Browns TE David Njoku says he’s grateful to god that he’s still alive after suffering his burn injuries 🙏
“When it happened, my eyes were open, so I should’ve been blinded.” – crazy 🙏
(h/t @H_Grove) pic.twitter.com/wfCvpfHbQ3https://t.co/P9LQy3oDC1
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 13, 2023
David Njoku: ‘I Really Should’ve Been Blinded’
In an Oct. 11 Instagram post, Njoku shared a photo of the burn scars on his face. He did so, he told reporters, because he was “getting a lot of messages from other burn victims and nurses that have burn victims,” indicating they felt “embarrassed” by their appearance while recovering. “So I wanted to just come out forth and show myself so everyone feels a little bit better about themselves,” said Njoku. “End of the day, things heal.”
When asked about his ordeal, Njoku said, “First and foremost, I give all the glory to God.” He continued, “When it happened…my eyes were open, so I saw everything. I really should’ve been blinded…luckily I’m not. So yeah, I give all the glory to God.”
Although the Browns listed Njoku as questionable to play after the accident, he shrugged off the injury. “The way I see it, all the pain and sufferings from training in the off-season are far worse than any of this,” he said. “We really push ourselves a lot to strive to be great, so a little burn isn’t going to stop me.” The player added, “The fact that I’m still breathing, I’ve still got my vision and everything…mentally [I] feel great.”
Last week, Njoku announced a new merchandise line to support “burn care, prevention, and research.” A portion of proceeds from every sale of his “Withstand” apparel will go to the American Burn Association.
Chief Njoku Proclaims ‘God Is the Greatest’
Njoku, a first-round draft pick out of Miami in 2017, earned praise from teammates for his attitude and perseverance. “Says a lot about him,” said teammate Amari Cooper. “Showed a lot of toughness on his part, 100%. There are a lot of players who definitely would not have played with that happening to them less than 48 hours before the game.”
