Chargers running back Najee Harris was injured during a Fourth of July fireworks accident, according to Rick Hurd, Nate Gartrell, and Darren Sabedra of The Mercury News. The running back’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, released a statement assuring that his client only suffered superficial injuries and will be good to go for the 2025 campaign.
“Najee Harris was present at a 4th of July event where a fireworks mishap resulted in injuries to several attendees,” Hendrickson said in his statement (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). “Najee sustained a superficial eye injury during the incident, but is fully expected to be ready for the upcoming NFL season.”
There were a handful of recent online rumors surrounding Harris and a fireworks incident. Fortunately, many of those rumblings proved to be overblown, as the veteran RB apparently managed to avoid a serious injury. According to The Mercury News, other individuals were hurt in the accident, although the severity of those injuries hasn’t been revealed.
Of course, any fireworks incident will bring back memories of Jason Pierre-Paul, who suffered a serious hand injury during a 2015 accident. That incident required the pass rusher to have his right index finger amputated. To JPP’s credit, the defender played another nine seasons following that injury.
After spending the first four seasons of his career with the Steelers, Harris joined the Chargers this offseason. The RB hasn’t necessarily lived up to his first-round billing, although he has managed to top 1,000 rushing yards in each of his four NFL seasons. Harris is expected to lead the RB room in 2025, although the Chargers did use a first-round pick on North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton.
NFL players and their fireworks go together like microwaves and tinfoil
Gotta be a clause in their contract somewhere. NO MATCHES.
I mean, basically everyone and fireworks go poorly together, but we don’t hear about it with most people and most people aren’t risking millions of dollars in earnings by playing stupid games.
But we don’t hear about it happening in any other sport
NBA players only “travel” with fireworks, and NHLers are comprised of more Canadians, eh.
It seems Americans have the market cornered on stupidity with fireworks.
Of course guys in MLB have a season and may have it written into their contracts to avoid high risk behavior.
There are what, four times as many NFL players as NBA players? MLB players work on the Fourth of July.
Big Ben took em to the ER on the back of his bike?
You point the fireworks away from your face, Najee.
Back it up Najee
Elite reference
Mixing drunkenness with consumer grade explosives…
The most American and Darwinistic holiday.
Private citizens should not be allowed to use fireworks.
In many cases, they aren’t. But in this specific instance, all fireworks, including “safe and sane”, are illegal in Antioch where this occurred. SF Chronicle reporting one person did go to the hospital missing a finger.
I’m glad you’re here to tell private citizens what they should and should not be allowed to do. Thank Gawd fa you.
Cool, but that’s not me. That comment was straight from the City of Antioch’s Facebook page on July 3, reminding their constituents what they had all agreed to be their laws.
Jason Pierre-Paul did the pre-fireworks safety brief.
The only person in sports I would have trusted with fireworks was Sparky Anderson.
these guys can’t get out of their own way