The anger has begun to subside. The reality of the events that occurred during an ugly Monday Night game between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers now stalks us like a recurring nightmare.

That moment in the second quarter stands frozen in time in our collective minds and hearts. Seeing Nick Chubb wince in pain and ultimately cry as he was carted off is something we’ll never be able to forget. There are some things that cannot be unseen.

The scoreboard quickly became blurry and irrelevant. The Browns have lost games before and will lose them again. Losing a Hall of Fame player in his prime is something that has left many of us with a nauseous ache in the pit of our stomachs, one that won’t go away anytime soon.

Chubb is the epitome of toughness, having recovered from a similar injury to the same knee while attending the University of Georgia. He is a warrior in the weight room and someone who has always pushed himself toward excellence regardless of the pain involved and typically without cameras present.

We could say that Chubb is the epitome of many things – quiet confidence, sportsmanship, hard work, being a team player, letting your play speak for you, and being a beloved athlete.

The truth is Nick Chubb is a quiet man. I have always admired him for being and staying who he is. I fell in love with this young man when I saw footage of him after being drafted, simply introducing himself as Nick. No pretense, no attitude, just a man with a job who would quickly become the best running back in the NFL.

Most of us don’t know a lot about him. We see his play, the way he carries himself, the incredible weight he lifts, and the fact that he has never done anything to upset the chemistry of the team. He is what a professional is supposed to be, and he has proven it time and time again. He is a coach’s dream along with being a fan favorite.

We love football in Northeast, Ohio. We support our teams with an unabashed enthusiasm regardless of the records they boast. We don’t switch allegiances and admire others who do the same. We also have an affinity for running backs, especially great ones. Nick Chubb would have moved into second place on the Browns all-time rushing list in a matter of weeks, trailing only the great Jim Brown. At the age of 27, Chubb looked to be at his peak, but that’s difficult to assess since he had a habit of getting better and better each season. Chubb has been a special player, and we love players who have talent and also like to work hard.

We love football in Northeast Ohio. The area breeds loyal fans, many of whom have stuck with a losing franchise for decades. We celebrate great players, and we never forget them.

Now we sit, and we wait. We pray that Chubb makes a recovery from this horrific injury. We pray that he makes a comeback if possible and if he desires to. We wait. We’ll watch football games again. We’ll wear our number 24 jerseys with pride. We’ll support Nick Chubb in any way a loving fan base can because he deserves nothing less.

The dawg pound mourns for what is lost. The plays, the yards, and the games we will all attend where Chubb isn’t playing. We mourn for Nick Chubb the man who has always done everything right and has been dealt a barbarous and cruel fate. We cried on Monday night, and we’ll continue to cry.