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Browns tight end David Njoku grateful to be alive, able to play after burn injuries
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- Browns tight end David Njoku grateful to be alive, able to play after burn injuries
BEREA — David Njoku's face and hand said all that needed to be said about how close the Browns tight end came to something significantly more serious than possibly missing a football game.
Njoku sat at his locker on Friday afternoon and spoke for the first time since he sustained the burn injuries from a firepit accident. While those looking at him could see the results of the accident in the various scars and blisters, he could still remember what he saw in the moment.
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"When it happened, my eyes were open, so I saw everything," Njoku said Friday. "I really should have been blinded. So luckily I'm not. So, yeah, I give all the glory to God."
The burns were the physical scars of the accident. If there were any mental or emotional scars, Njoku didn't let on publicly.
In fact, to some, you couldn't tell the difference from Njoku Friday compared to any other Friday beforehand.
Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) warms up before the start of a game against the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 1 in Cleveland.
"I mean, the fact that I'm still breathing," Njoku said. "I still got my vision and everything. I mentally feel great."
The accident happened on Sept. 29, the Friday before the Browns' 28-3 Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens . Despite being listed as questionable for that game, Njoku arrived at the stadium on game day and persevered through the pain to catch six passes for 46 yards while playing 48 offensive snaps.
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Njoku is once again officially listed as questionable as the Browns return from their bye week to play host to the undefeated San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Once again, after returning to practice Friday after not practicing the rest of the week, he's not expecting to miss the game despite the official status.
"The way I see it, all the pain and sufferings from training in the offseason is far worse than any of this, you know what I mean?" Njoku said. "We really push ourselves a lot to strive to be great. So a little burn isn't going to stop me."
Browns tight end David Njoku, right, signals for a first down against the Ravens on Oct. 1 in Cleveland.
Instead, Njoku has tried to use his situation to make sure other burn victims aren't stopped from living their own lives. He put photos on his Instagram account Wednesday of his injuries, including one showing burns on his forehead and cheek.
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The post has garnered plenty of engagement, from likes to responses, including one from former teammate Christian Kirksey. It's also led him to help out financially.
The American Burn Association announced earlier this week Njoku will make a donation to that organization. Beyond that donation, a portion of the revenues from Njoku's recently launched merchandise line will also go to the ABA.
"I've been getting a lot of messages from other burn victims and nurses that have burn victims," Njoku said, "and they were telling me how everybody feels embarrassed to show whatever, so I wanted just to come out forth and show myself so everyone feels a little bit better about themselves. End of the day, things heal."
What Njoku's trying to do most of all is just move on from the night. When asked about the cause of the burns, he made it obvious he didn't want to get into the details.
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"I got burned by fire," he said. "Leave it at that. It was a bonfire accident, you know what I mean? Trying to have a nice little chill Friday, ended up exploding when I lit it up. So, yeah, it happens."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: What happened to David Njoku? Browns TE grateful to play after burns
