Cleveland Browns standout tight end David Njoku was at the center of a terrifying home fire pit accident, leading to burns on his face and arms this past September. .
On Friday, he and his doctor, Dr. Joseph Khouri, revealed more details from the experience in a video the Browns shared on social media and their team website.
Dr. Khouri noted that Njoku, who previously posted a series of photos to showcase his burns from the encounter, burned about 17 percent of his body surface area, adding that the injuries offered “probably the most painful burn you can have.”
Dr. Khouri identified Njoku’s injuries to the top two layers of the skin as second-degree partial-thickness burns.
“I diagnosed it as about a 17-18 percent total body surface area burn of second-degree partial thickness,” he said. “My recommendation was to not play.”
Njoku, of course, hasn’t missed a game all season.
“When I lit it up, it just exploded,’ Njoku said, recalling the experience. “I saw the fire come up through my wrist and then just blow up in my face. I didn’t really feel the pain because it just happened so fast.”
Njoku played two days later, recording six catches for 46 yards against the vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense.
The 2017 first-round pick has made 51 catches and recorded 492 receiving yards while scoring two touchdowns in 11 games this season for the 7-4 Browns.
His Browns are in Los Angeles to play the Rams on Sunday, and Njoku is set to wear custom cleats as part of the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats campaign that will honor the American Burn Association.
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