RB Nick Chubb to Browns fans: 'I gotta pay ya back'

Browns running back Nick Chubb sent a message to the fans and city of Cleveland via The Players' Tribune. Chubb, 28, bared his soul in the article that he posted on his X account (formerly Twitter) Wednesday, four days before his expected return to action following multiple torn ligaments and two surgeries on his left knee. "I was meant for this city," Chubb wrote. "I've tried to work my (backside) off every day to get us where we need to go, and even though we have gotten close, I feel like I have serious unfinished business. That's why it hurt me so bad to go down last season. We were just starting to cook... There's only one thing left to do now. I gotta pay ya back." That might be a lofty goal given the Browns (1-5) have stumbled out of the gate, losing four in a row heading into Sunday's game against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals (2-4). Chubb also reflected on his injury sustained versus the rival Pittsburgh Steelers last season and he thought "this could be it" for his NFL career. Chubb, however, said he was strengthened by the outpouring of support from friends and even over social media, including one post from NBA superstar LeBron James. "For real though, those messages meant the world to me," Chubb wrote. "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. "There was one thing that got me through it. One thing that kept me positive. And it's been the same thing since I was young. My why ... My family." Chubb shared his thoughts after he was selected by the Browns in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. "I turned to my mom like, "You know as soon as I get a couple of those NFL checks, I'm retiring you, right?" Chubb wrote. "The Browns changed my life that night, but more importantly, they changed my family's life." On Sunday, Chubb hopes to change the trajectory of the Browns this season. And he feels he was meant to do that. --Field Level Media