CLEVELAND — As he prepared for the first start of his NFL career, D'Ernest Johnson had a trick or two up his sleeve. But after scoring a 4-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the Cleveland Browns' 17-14 win over the Denver Broncos on Thursday night, the third-year running back forgot all of the celebrations that he had previously planned.
"I wanted to celebrate, but I didn't know what to do, man," Johnson said after the game. "I was thinking about a lot of [celebrations] before I got here but when the moment happened, I didn't know what to do. I just yelled and screamed and celebrated with the team."
It wasn't the last time the 25-year-old Johnson would be speechless on Thursday night.
Shortly after rushing for a career-high 146 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries, Johnson was informed that he received praise on Twitter from NBA superstar and noted Browns fan, LeBron James. The social media shoutout left the South Florida product at a near loss for words, as he attempted to put the praise into perspective.
"LeBron? Man, that's my favorite basketball player, I ain't going to lie to you," said Johnson, who started in place of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, who each missed the game against the Broncos with injuries. "LeBron? LeBron James? That's amazing. Bro, that's amazing. LeBron James, I appreciate it, man. That means a lot. That means a lot. Wow."
You can see the full video of Johnson's reaction in the tweet below via the Cleveland Browns: