CLEVELAND — During David Njoku's press conference for his upcoming celebrity softball game in Eastlake, the Browns tight end made it clear Cleveland is his home, and his city is something he cares very deeply for.
So, don't slander it.
Back in February, during the 2024 Pro Bowl Games, Njoku was participating in a Madden matchup. Njoku was teamed up with Dolphins' wide receiver Tyreek Hill and competed against Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua and Cowboys' linebacker Micah Parsons.
During the game, Parsons made the comment “Cleveland is Cleveland," intended to insult the city and the Browns. Njoku stood his ground in the moment, shutting Parsons down immediately.
“One thing you got to understand is he said, ‘Cleveland is Cleveland,’ but we’re both here,” Njoku said. "We're both playing the Madden game. So, you got to make it make sense… So, what you say? Cleveland is Cleveland and Dallas is Dallas?”
Njoku was passionate at that moment, and for him, there was good reason.
"Honestly, I feel like Cleveland raised me from a boy to a man. I got drafted at 20 years old here, so that was 7-8 years ago. I'm 27 now, I turn 28 in July. So just becoming a man in this city it means more than what most may think," Njoku explained on Wednesday at his softball press conference.
Then, Njoku doubled down on his stance about what Parsons said in February—and left a lesson for anyone else who might think about slandering Cleveland.
"With Parsons and then the other idiot—talking down on Cleveland is just something I won't accept no matter what, no matter what happens, I will never accept it," Njoku said. "So just with that being said, respect the city, bro. I mean, it's very simple."
In 2022, Njoku signed a four-year contract extension that keeps him in Cleveland through 2025. In that moment he indicated he wanted to be a Clevelander. In all of his actions since, he's truly become one.
