NFL's David Njoku Reveals 'Painful Burns' From Bonfire Mishap

Cleveland Brownstight end David Njoku is breaking his silence on "painful burns" he sustained after a bonfire mishap.

The 27-year-old tight end hosts weekly Friday night bonfires, where he plays music, meditates, and relaxes. Unfortunately, one of his bonfires went wrong several months ago -- and it caused substantial injuries.

After a doctor described the injury as "probably the most painful burn you can have," Njoku, an NFL star, shared a video on social media showing the aftermath of the bonfire mishap.

"I ran out of my normal lighter fluid that I use to soak the wood, so I used this other one. It was a spray instead of one that you pour," Njoku explained, stating that the new lighter fluid was "still in the air" after he sprayed the wood.

"So when I lit it up, it just exploded. I saw the fire come from my wrist and just blow up in my face. I didn't really feel the pain because it just happened so fast," he added.

Dr. Joseph Khouri of University Hospitals explained that he diagnosed Njoku's injuries as "a 17-18% total body surface area burn of second-degree partial thickness," further describing the burns as "probably the most painful burn you can have."

On October 1, Njoku wore a mask to help protect the injuries, however, "even putting that mask on and taking it off, bits and pieces of my skin and my face would be off," the tight end explained.

"I wrapped up my whole face, I put a ski mask over that and I put a helmet on. Every single play, whether I got the ball or not, my helmet hitting my face, I felt it every single time. When I wasn't even doing anything, just the sweat dipping ... it was intense," he added.

Fans appreciated Njoku speaking out about the injury as many flooded the comments section stating, "Amazing. Toughness in action. [applause] to David for sharing his story in words and photos. Inspiring" and "It was a journey. mental toughness."

Fans were quick to notice the face mask, which prompted questions. The Browns star addressed those questions in his new video. "It was so many DMs and messages from burn victims that are scared to show their face," Nojku said, before commenting on how his post made other burn victims feel "a little better about themselves."

"Things happen, mistakes happen, and you gotta just put your best foot forward," he said.

The Cleveland Browns star has also raised money for the American Burn Association (ABA) after his injury by selling T-shirts as part of a limited-edition "Withstand" merchandise line.

The Browns tight end has chosen to promote the ABA as part of the NFL's My Cause My Cleats initiative. "Your mindset, your mentality is everything," he said, adding, "The body will follow the mind at the end of the day. So whatever your mind tells your body to do, it will do no matter what. So I really took that to heart."