Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba revealed at the NFL Honors ceremony that the trophy he received for winning the Offensive Player of the Year award was engraved with the words "Defensive Player of TheYear."
Smith-Njigba showed the engraved trophy in a video posted online. "I really want to expose them. It's getting disrespectful, guys," he said. "Defense? Come on, bro."
Asked to sum up his reaction in a single word, he responded, "One word? Man." He added, "Just keep the award at this point." He also said, "Leave it in the history books, tho."
The NFL Honors organization provided the trophy. Pro Football Talk reported that the NFL produces the trophies for these awards, not the Associated Press. No comment from the league or the NFL Honors organization on the engraving has been provided.
Smith-Njigba, 24, earned Offensive Player of the Year honors after setting franchise records with 119 receptions and a league-leading 1,793 receiving yards, along with 10 touchdowns in the regular season. He recorded three tackles on defense during the season.
Counting the playoffs, he totaled 1,989 receiving yards across 20 games, the third-most in NFL history. He became the fifth player to lead the league in receiving yards and win the Super Bowl in the same season, joining Drew Pearson, Jerry Rice and Cooper Kupp.
Seattle won the Super Bowl last season. This offseason, Smith-Njigba signed a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history.
The Offensive Player of the Year award was announced at the ceremony by comedian Druski, who mispronounced Smith-Njigba's last name in a manner that included a racial slur. Druski apologized for the mispronunciation and reached out to Smith-Njigba afterward.
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