What Happened to David Njoku? Here’s Why He’s Been Hiding His Face
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He was photographed arriving at a football game with a mask reminiscent of the Hollow Man, so what happened to David Njoku?
The Cleveland Browns tight end was born on July 10, 1996, in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. He played college football at the University of Miami and was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft with the 29th overall pick.
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On September 10, Njoku made his NFL debut in a 21–18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and throughout his early years, showed promise as a pass-catching tight end. He had a good rookie season, but his performance varied in subsequent years and has had to overcome injuries during his NFL career and that now includes what happened to David Njoku which caused him to hide his face until October 12, 2023, when he revealed the shocking reason.
What happened to David Njoku?
David Njoku suffered significant facial burns in a household accident on Friday September 29, 2023, while trying to light a fire pit in his backyard, per ESPN. He was added to the Browns injury report the following day. “David Njoku was added to the injury report as questionable after sustaining burn injuries to his face and arm during a household accident,” the Browns said in a statement. Tom Pelissero followed up with this tweet: “From David Njoku’s agent. I’m told his injuries were caused by a fire pit in his backyard. All things considered, a positive update.”
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Njoku’s agent Malki Kawa tweeted: “Thank you everyone for reaching out , but David njoku is ok, thank God.” Later, on that Saturday afternoon, Njoku tweeted for the first time since the incident, writing: “The flesh is weak,” he wrote. “See u tomorrow.”
He arrived at the stadium in a spooky mask and while on the field, covered up with a snood and played through the pain for the Browns loss against the Baltimore Ravens.
Njoku had kept the extent of his injuries private until the evening of Wednesday October 11, 2023, when he shared a photo to Instagram without any face covering and all we can say is ouch. The athlete posted six photos on Instagram, with the second and fourth pictures in the slideshow showing his facial burns. The effect of his burn is more noticeable in the second picture, while the fourth photo shows Njoku smiling and looking more healed than before so it’s unclear exactly when the photos were taken.
Friends, fans and followers took to the comments section to share their support for the athlete. “Did not know it was that bad. Can only thank God he’s still okay,” one commented, while another shared his amazement at the player’s ability to return to the field, “Brah, to play a game after this is nuts.” His agent Kawa tweeted: “My dawg is full of life… he loves ball and won’t let anything get in the way,” after the photos were shared.
Camryn Justice, a local reporter, tweeted that Njoku’s teammate, wide receiver Amari Cooper, gave credit to him for playing through his facial burns. “Amari Cooper praised David Njoku for playing against the Ravens with the burns he sustained to his face and arm. Said he’s suffered burns himself, but not on his face. Couldn’t believe he was able to even put a helmet on through that,” while the Browns social media editor Hayden Grove tweeted: “David Njoku is in the locker room today and his face looks MUCH, MUCH better than it did in either of the photos he posted on Instagram yesterday.”
In 2022, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski praised Njoku for his work ethic in an interview with Akron Beacon Journal. “Dave is a guy who does work really hard at his craft,” he said. “There is a lot that you don’t see – there is work in the weight room and there is work in the indoor pre-practice. He is somebody who has never been afraid to put in the work, and I think that is a testament to our players. We still have players out here on the field right now. I make a big point of when that horn goes off, there is still work to be done, and that is when you get the opportunity to work on your craft.”
Njoku said how seriously he takes each chance to step up to the plate. “You have to be ready for every opportunity,” he said. “I just handle each day like it’s my last. In other words, I treat every day very importantly. I take this very seriously, so you have the opportunity and you have to catch on.”
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