CLEVELAND (AP) — Almost from the moment Nick Chubb was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, he has felt a deep connection with the city and its fans.
An unshakeable bond.
It's never been stronger.
Only days from the running back's return to play in an NFL game following a second major knee injury, the normally reserved and private Chubb expressed his gratitude on Wednesday with heartfelt, touching words in an essay.
Chubb teamed with The Players’ Tribune to write a letter that both told his story and thanked fans for the love that pushed him through his recovery.
“Just trying to give back a little bit,” Chubb explained Wednesday before practice. “I am kind of a closed-off guy, so I thought it’d be good. I thought people would appreciate me opening up a little bit, especially at a time like this.”
Chubb has endeared himself to the area's passionate sports fans like few other athletes. He's beloved on a level that goes beyond the usual fan-player relationship, which is why Chubb said he was inspired to write “Cleveland Got May Back.”
He wanted to share the emotional journey back after his left knee, the same one he hurt in 2015 while playing at Georgia, was destroyed in Week 2 last year in Pittsburgh. As he planted on a carry inside the 5-yard line, Chubb was hit by Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
His season was over. He feared his career was as well.
Chubb overcame his own doubts, and predictions of others. Fueled by the support of family, friends and strangers who know him simply by his No. 24 jersey and orange helmet, Chubb is ready to play again. He's grateful for the chance.
“It means a lot because people only see me on Sundays and they don’t know what it’s been like this past year,” said Chubb, who will likely start this week against Cincinnati. “It’s been a lot of downs, a lot of hard work, a lot of stress."
In more detail than he had previously shared, Chubb wrote in the essay that after going on social media shortly after he was carted from the field, the first comment he saw on X, formerly known as Twitter, was from LeBron James.
“Those messages meant the world to me,” the four-time Pro Bowler said. “Just LeBron and everybody showing me love in a really dark time. But I can’t lie to you. At that moment, I was thinking that I had probably played my last NFL down.”
Chubb needed two surgeries to repair two torn ligaments along with the medial capsule and meniscus in his left knee. Knowing Chubb, his dedication and work ethic, the Browns were optimistic he would be back at some point in 2024.
He didn't disappoint. Never has.
“Nick’s a pretty special football player,” said coach Kevin Stefanski. "He’s a pretty special person. I think he embodies a lot of what we want to be as Cleveland Browns, and certainly I think our fans feel that from him.
“For me, from my chair, I get to watch him work and I get to see the fruits of his labor. I get to peek out of my office window early in the morning, and he’s the only one out there running. I’ve gotten to witness this journey back to last year and how hard he’s worked."
Although he was in the final year of his contract, the team restructured his deal, telling his agent they never considered cutting Chubb and wanted to bring him back in part because of what Chubb means to the city.
“That really meant the world to me,” he wrote.
Chubb said once he began running in April that any lingering doubts about playing again were erased. It's been full speed ahead since.
“It was just a monumental moment for me to actually run again,” he said. "I knew at that moment that I would come back to be who I was.”
His teammates have been there, supporting him along the way. Just as Chubb began his media session in the middle of Cleveland's locker room, several Browns players playfully yelled and cheered for him.
In what has been a dark season so far, Chubb brings some light.
“He’ll be that spark for us,” linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah said. “We can't wait to see that.”
Chubb hasn't allowed himself to think too far ahead about what his emotions will be like when he takes the field. The simple fact that he'll be out there will mean as much as a touchdown run or 100-yard game.
Cleveland fans have waited to chant his name again — “Chubb, Chubb, Chubb.”'
It's time.
Chubb laughed when he was reminded that he went unrecognized at Cleveland's airport after he was drafted in 2018. As he stood near the baggage carousel, someone asked him what he was doing in town.
“I miss those days,” he said. "That's still the person I am. People in Cleveland just came to appreciate me for who I am and that’s what I love. I’m still that guy. I just want to work and I want to win.”
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