Hey, Cleveland, Nick Chubb plans to ‘pay ya back’ for all you’ve given him, beginning with his return on Sunday

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Hey, Cleveland, Nick Chubb has your back, but you already knew that.

He also knows that you have his. And his heart.

On Sunday, the Dark Knight will Rise again at Cleveland Browns Stadium, with Chubb making his historic return to the field after his second major knee reconstruction, the kind that would fell most non-super heroes. But not Chubb, who long adopted the Batman personna and made himself seemingly invincible.

Pouring out his heart in a Players’ Tribune essay, Chubb describes his two major reconstructions, and being raised by his mom in Georgia, who is his why.

He, of course, intended to come back and help a winning team get the Browns into the playoffs — not a 1-5 team try to salvage and almost-lost season.

But that’s what superheroes are all about, achieving the impossible.

Here’s the final part of Chubb’s essay, beginning after he tumbled out of the first round of the 2018 draft:

I had to go to bed that night not knowing who was going to call my name.

Next morning, I got to the high school for a workout, and Mike Worthington is on his phone … and we already established how Mike Worthington is a little crazy … so he comes up to me and shows me his phone. He’s got ESPN up.

It’s the draft order.

He’s pointing at no. 35.

All he says is, “Man, when they call you tonight, don’t pick up the damn phone.”

He’s pointing right at the Browns logo.

Now remember, the Browns had just gone Zero and 16. Zero and 16. I wasn’t hating on the Browns, but all I’m saying is, you weren’t exactly picking them in Madden. It was the dark days.

“Don’t pick up the damn phone.”

So of course, that night, we’re all back at the Buffalo Wild Wings, and a couple minutes into Round 2, I get a phone call.

216.

I see that Cleveland, OH pop up on my caller ID.

I go numb.

Honestly, can’t even really remember what the coaches said to me, because my family was all jumping up and down and screaming and I could barely hear anything.

I look up at the TVs, and I see the legend, the GOAT, Jim Brown coming up to the podium to announce the pick for the Browns.

Still can’t hear anything. Everybody going nuts….

Then I see my name flash up on the screen.

RB NICK CHUBB — GEORGIA.

216.

Cleveland, OH.

That was the best phone call I ever got.

I turned to my mom like, “You know as soon as I get a couple of those NFL checks, I’m retiring you, right?”

The Browns changed my life that night, but more importantly, they changed my family’s life.

Now I think you understand what I mean when I tell you I was meant for this city. I’ve tried to work my ass 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……

I can’t stop until I prove to everybody that I’m the undisputed best running back in this league, and I definitely can’t stop until we get the Browns back to the top of the AFC. It’s been too damn long. Thank God that I healed.

Thank God that I can continue to play this great game.

Thank God that I get the chance to run it back.

You want to hear what the Browns told my agent, by the way?

When my agent called me to tell me the news, he said, “I’ve never actually had a front office tell me anything like this. But they said that part of the reason they never entertained cutting you is because of how much you mean to the city.”

That really meant the world to me. Look, I know the deal. I had no guaranteed money left. The Browns had all the leverage. They could’ve left me high and dry, like so many guys in this league. But they had my back. You all had my back.

That’s enough talking for me. There’s only one thing left to do now. I gotta pay ya back.

These rocks ain’t going to move themselves. Let’s work.

— Nick