Former Cleveland Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi revealed Monday in a video for The Players’ Tribune he had most of his left hand amputated after an ATV accident last April.
Massaquoi described taking a turn too sharply and losing control of the ATV. The next thing he felt was something “like an explosion went off” in his hand.
“What I’m seeing and what my friends are seeing are completely different. They’re seeing what actually happened, I’m seeing what I think happened. I think I just broke my hand, my friend, on the other hand, thinks that my hand just went through like a meat grinder, or something like that,” Massaquoi said.
Former @NFL and @UGAFootball wide receiver @IronMassaquoi made his career catching a ball.
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) February 12, 2018
Last April, his left hand was amputated.
This is the first time he's told his story: https://t.co/cNm7qAddud pic.twitter.com/mecccJ6sZN
Massaquoi, 31, was a Browns second-round pick in 2009. He played four seasons, racking up 1,745 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
The upper half of his left hand and all four fingers were amputated after the accident, leaving just his thumb, which he says provides a sense of feel and pressure. The rest of his left hand has been replaced with a prosthetic device.
“In losing a hand, which was critical to the job that I had to do. Critical to getting a scholarship. Critical to getting drafted. To not have that, it’s a part of you that helped me become who I am. So there’s an adjustment there of saying ‘OK, this part of me is no longer, but there’s a lot of other parts that are still there,’” he said.
