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Jaxon Smith-Njigba Raises Awareness of Sarcoma Cancer & Pays Homage To Hometown Of Dallas

Rookie wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba pays homage to his late friend Ryan Roberson and his hometown of Dallas with his My Cause My Cleats footwear.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is supporting Little Warrior Foundation for 2023 My Cause My Cleats during Week 13 vs. the Cowboys.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is supporting Little Warrior Foundation for 2023 My Cause My Cleats during Week 13 vs. the Cowboys.

In April, Seattle selected Ohio State wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba 20th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. This week, the Buckeye got a first look at his customized footwear for the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats initiative, special Week 13 kicks that bring awareness to Sarcoma Cancer and pay homage to his native Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex roots.

Through 11 games played, Smith-Njigba has shown several flashes of why he was a first-round selection, catching 38 passes for 406 yards and two touchdowns. Now, Smith-Njigba will pay homage to his Dallas roots and late family friend Ryan Roberson with his commemorative cleats.

Amongst the array of tattoos across Smith-Njigba's body is one for his native Dallas on his right arm - homage to his roots. The former Rockwall High star is the younger brother of Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba. Roberson was the elder Smith-Njigba's teammate and friend of the family before succumbing to Sarcoma Cancer. Smith-Njigba discusses the importance of highlighting the Roberson Little Warrior Foundation, as the work continues in the fight against Cancer.

"Little Warrior Foundation means a lot to me and my family," said Smith-Njigba. "It started a few years ago with my brother's teammate Ryan Roberson. He passed away due to an illness, and they started a foundation. I was able to support it back in high school, and for me to get this opportunity again to support and help raise money for the foundation - it means a lot to me and my family. He had a little brother, Reed, who was a good friend of mine. Ryan was a special person to me in the community. I remember a lot of times hanging out with him. Just putting smiles on a lot of people's faces; every time he was on the mound was a good day for my brother's team. I just remember him being an exceptional, loving person and a person that blessed a lot of people."

Smith-Njigba continued by diving into the importance of supporting Little Warrior in the fight against cancer.

"I think it's just important to raise awareness on things like this," said Smith-Njigba. "If I have an opportunity to just put some cleats on and help - I'm going to do whatever I can to do that. It has a special place in my heart and I'm happy I get to do it."

On returning to Dallas for the first time as an NFL player, Smith-Njigba said, "I'm super excited to go home. I love playing in Dallas, it's my favorite place to play. It's going to be very special to me, I've been playing in that stadium since I was a kid. For me to have a Seahawks uniform on playing against the Cowboys - it's an actual dream that I get to live out. So, I'm just super excited to do that. See all my family, all my friends and hopefully a lot of people from my community come out. It's going to be a special time. Not only for me, but everybody that's with me."

Seattle will sport their 1990’s throwbacks for the second time this season, as the two NFC teams prepare to square off on primetime television.

"I'm just going to try to take it all in," said Smith-Njigba. "Lot of things going on, but once that ball snaps, I'm just going to be as locked in and focused as I can. Just look around and enjoy the time that I'm there. Get to see family - it's just a special time for me. Just super excited and blessed that I get to do what I do. The Roberson family will be there, my family will be there. Going to be good to see them."

Smith-Njigba will look to help Seattle climb back into the win column this week, and he'll also be helping those across the country dealing with Sarcoma and other forms of Cancer by shedding light with his cleats.

Check out the custom-designed cleats for this years My Cause My Cleat. Some players will wear their cleats during the Week 13 Thursday Night game at Dallas.

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