CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb is well known for being soft-spoken, with his play on the field being largely responsible for doing a lot of the talking about his game.
If you ask anyone close to Chubb, he’s always been that way. So, it’s no surprise that he identifies with the superhero Batman featured in the 2012 film The Dark Knight rises.
This past offseason, Chubb, in collaboration with his longtime friend Nathan Jones, devised a project to feature the star running back on his own Batman-themed posters. They’ve been a hit all season, both for Chubb and for Browns fans.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him and me personally and just being able to watch a friend perform like he has been incredible,” said Jones.
The pair have been friends since their time together at the University of Georgia. The two sketched out the idea over the summer to release a Batman-themed poster for each game this season. Chubb even third-wheeled it on a date between Jones and his soon-to-be bride Shelby to an Atlanta Braves game early on in their relationship.
“When we first started dating and she didn't know who he was. We went to a Braves game, and she was like, ‘why do all these old guys keep coming up and hugging them and tell them that they love him?’” Jones said. “Now, when I go to Cleveland, it's like that times 50.”
Chubb made the announcement via Instagram with a video that’s gone viral, and the project has taken on a life of its own ever since.
“It really all started because Nick loves the people in Cleveland, which is kind of ironic. It really does kind of have that Bruce Wayne and Gotham feel,” Jones said. “He doesn't say much. He kind of keeps to himself. But when the city needs them, he's there.”
The posters draw inspiration from the city itself and tie in the opponent the Browns are playing each week. Jones is the face behind the Sunday Knight Comic Instagram page, where the posters are displayed, but there’s a team of people behind the scenes working in darkness to make sure the posters come to light each week.
“When I get into an Uber when I visit Cleveland, I just ask these people that have lived there the secrets of Cleveland,” Jones said. “We try to tie in these subtle subtleties to each week's poster.”
There’s an artist that helps draw the picture itself and Jones and another team member, Randy Olsen, work on a corresponding video to accompany the poster. While Jones’ favorite is the work that went along with the Browns-Bengals Monday Night Football matchup, Chubb has a different favorite.
“Us vs. the Chargers. I kind of I told him the idea to have like a Zeus-like God to put on there. That's probably my favorite so far,” Chubb said.
Despite playing in a league that’s known for its showmanship than its sportsmanship, Chubb is perhaps the perfect fit for a hardworking, blue-collar town like Cleveland. Always putting the team first, the Browns running back even posted on Instagram: “I’m whatever Cleveland needs me to be,” a play off of the quote from Bruce Wayne in the movie.
“When you're in Cleveland, you know the people love Cleveland, which makes you love the city,” Jones said. “He kind of embodies what the people of Cleveland are kind of like, how he plays and how he acts.”
Jones said he’s not sure where the posters will go in the future, but there may be a comic-book-style collage that they compile at the end of the season featuring all of the posters from this year.
For fans interested in getting their hands on a signed poster, you can check out the Sunday Knight Comic Instagram page and tag @News5Cleveland for a chance to win an autographed copy. Jones and Sunday Knight Comic will select a winner to receive a poster in the mail.
