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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JANUARY 25: Sam Darnold #14 and Jaxon Smith-Njigba #11 of the Seattle Seahawks high five after a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game at Lumen Field on January 25, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl and wide receiver Jaxon Smith Njigba won the Offensive Player of the Year. What could be better for the young receiver out of Ohio State?
Despite his win, Smith-Njigba was unwittingly embroiled in a controversy in which the presenter of the award, social media personality Druski, deliberately mispronounced the Seahawks wideout’s name to utter a racial slur.
In the aftermath of the event, Smith-Njigba shared the history of his family’s surname from Sierra Leone, who first emigrated to the US in the 1970s. The All-Pro has a strong personal connection to the country, whose flag he wears on his helmet.
Since then, Druski has apologized publicly and attempted to do privately, however according to the comedian, he never heard back from Smith-Njigba.
.@druski pushes the limits in his comedy — but he says that all his work “comes from a good place, a good-hearted situation.”
The comedian tells CBS Mornings about season 2 of his dating series, “Coulda Been Love,” and taking chances.
Druski Speaks Out on NFL Honors Name Joke
Druski was asked by CBS’ Nate Burleson, host of The NFL Today show, on CBS Mornings about his mispronunciation of Smith-Njigba’s name.
“Which by the way is not the easiest name to pronounce.” Druski initially said in defense of himself, semi-jokingly, before moving on to a more serious apology for his actions earlier this month.
“For sure, I mean I like to mess around. And you know sometimes you can go too far. I even hit him up and reached out. And you know congratulations to him, the team on the Super Bowl, I think that was an amazing thing. And yeah I didn’t get no response back, but I did reach out. I tried, I tried.”
“When we talk about walking that line of comedy sometimes you do have to take that chance. It’s not all going to be a successful hit. Nothing you do in anything when your trying to pursue greatness is going to be success, success, success.”
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Never Responded to Druski’s Apology Call
The joke was not some lethal, cruel insult as much as a poorly-timed joke that many regarded as engagement bait aimed to take the spotlight away from Smith-Njigba at what was arguably the high point of his career to date in receiving one of the NFL’s most sought after personal achievement awards.
Nevertheless, it seemed to have struck a chord, with multiple Seahawks players, such as outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu blasting Druski on social media in the aftermath of the incident and fans – even of opposing teams – generally feeling that the remarks were disrespectful and inappropriate for the situation.
It was a nice gesture to have reached out, without question, but for a man like Smith-Njigba, who is clearly as proud of his name as he is; to have it deliberately butchered as a cheap gag on a night that was very much his to celebrate; it is understandable that Druski did not receive a call or text back in the aftermath.
Daniel Arwas Daniel Arwas is a sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com. Daniel began his career in sports writing in 2022 and has covered the NFL and college football for Gridiron Heroics and The Hammer. More about Daniel Arwas
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