Overview
- The first trophy sent to Smith-Njigba had engraving errors that made the top line appear to read “Defensive Player of the Year” and also merged the words “the” and the year into one word.
- Smith-Njigba posted the original trophy on Instagram and called the mistake disrespectful after comedian Druski mispronounced his name at the NFL Honors, which intensified public attention.
- NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy apologized to Smith-Njigba and said the league remade the award and shipped a corrected version to the receiver.
- Smith-Njigba confirmed Tuesday that he received the corrected trophy, had teammates check the inscription, and said he is not holding grudges toward the NFL, Roger Goodell, or Druski.
- The incident highlights weaknesses in the league’s quality-control for physical awards and could lead the NFL to tighten engraving and presentation checks for future ceremonies.