Texans’ CJ Stroud breaks silence on his reaction to Tank Dell’s gruesome injury

When CJ Stroud threw a touchdown pass to Tank Dell late in the Houston Texans’ eventual loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Ohio State product’s excitement immediately turned to heartbreak when his exciting young wide receiver didn’t get up after the play.

When word came to Stroud that Dell was injured, he couldn’t hide his reaction, breaking down into tears at the realization that his friend was not only going to miss the remainder of the season but would have to spend the night in the hospital instead of flying back home with the rest of the team.

Discussing what happened in the game and how it felt to have such a vulnerable moment in front of the world, Stroud didn’t run away from it, letting fans, media, and anyone who was willing to listen know that he was proud to show his vulnerability off to the world, as it’s good to show fans not to shy away from the human factor.

“I wouldn’t say I was second-guessing it, but it was just not easy for me to sit there and be emotional,” Stroud said. “But it’s something that we all go through in life and it’s easy to be a fake tough guy. It’s easy to go through life acting like everything doesn’t affect you,” CJ Stroud told reporters via Click2Houston.

“But, deep down, we all know we’re going through something and, for me, I think it’s good for young men and women out there, kids who are brought up and taught. I was taught this, too, as a kid, not from my parents, but just from the world of, ‘Don’t let anybody see you emotional. Don’t let anybody see you down.’ There’s some truth to that in certain aspects, but there’s also life and I think it was good to see people see me in that light and knowing that there is still a human factor to me. And I am a normal person.”

Interesting stuff, right? Well, wait, it gets even better, as Stroud had even more to say on the subject.