David Njoku recently gave more details about the September bonfire accident that left him with burns on "17% of his body". Njoku said he likes to have bonfires in his backyard to relax on a Friday night. However, after running out of his usual lighter fluid, he tried a new spray to keep the fire going. However, the spray lingered in the air, leading to a back blast that caught Njoku by surprise. Despite the injuries, Njoku played through "intense pain" just two days later in a "personal" game against the Ravens.
Njoku, in his seventh season with the Browns, has still appeared in 11 games this season despite the injury. With 492 yards and six games left to play, the tight end will likely set a new personal best in yardage. To this point, his single-season high is 639 yards, set all the way back in 2018. Furthermore, he could also eclipse his touchdown high. Njoku has recorded four touchdowns in four separate seasons.
David Njoku Says Accident Should Have Blinded Him
This is just the most recent time that Njoku has opened up about the accident. Back in October, the tight end revealed that he should have been blinded. “I give all the glory to God. When it happened my eyes were open, so I saw everything and I really should’ve been blinded. Luckily I'm not, so I give all glory to God. All the pain and suffering from training in the offseason is far worse than any of this." Prior to those comments, Njoku showed off the extent of the damage caused by the accident. In pictures posted online, Njoku showed that his face was nearly entirely covered with painful burns. Njoku covered his face with a custom medical mask when entering the Browns facility in the first game after the injury, meaning that this was the first time that the extent of his injuries had been seen.
However, Njoku is also putting the unfortunate incident to good use. He has launched a clothing company called Withstand and will be donating a portion of the profits to the American Burn Association. Furthermore, Njoku has fully leaned into the persona the burns have given him. He tweeted "the flesh is weak" when arriving at the Browns facility. Furthermore, he has posted several gifs of the Joker and other Batman villains as part of this commitment to the bit.
[via]