Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is once again watching an NFL season unfold from the sideline, and a recent Instagram story offered a glimpse into how he is spending his time away from football this year. The former Pro Bowl linebacker was placed on the reserve, physically unable to perform list for the second consecutive season back in May, officially ruling him out for all of 2026 as he continues dealing with the aftermath of a serious neck injury suffered in October 2024. Sports reporter Jackson McCurry shared a clip of what Owusu-Koramoah posted from Harvard University, capturing a moment that speaks to just how much his day-to-day life has changed since that injury derailed a breakout season.
“I’m really supposed to be preparing for a game right now,” Owusu-Koramoah posted on his Instagram story.
Well this will make you sad as a #Browns fan 😔 pic.twitter.com/jppnTC8SsI
— Jackson McCurry (@JackMcCurry08) September 8, 2026
The injury that led to this moment occurred during a game against the Baltimore Ravens, when Owusu-Koramoah suffered a serious neck injury while attempting to tackle running back Derrick Henry, an incident serious enough that he was briefly hospitalized. At the time, he was in the midst of leading Cleveland’s defense with 61 tackles and playing arguably the best football of his career. That injury wiped out the remainder of the 2024 season, all of 2025, and now the entirety of 2026 as well, with general manager Andrew Berry telling reporters at the combine in February that he was not overly optimistic about a return, while stopping short of ruling out the possibility entirely.
Rather than simply waiting out his recovery, Owusu-Koramoah has used this extended time away from the field to pursue something meaningful off it. He enrolled at the Harvard Kennedy School to pursue a master’s degree in public policy, with classes beginning this fall. In comments made earlier this year, Owusu-Koramoah reflected on how the injury forced him to confront questions about identity and purpose beyond football, crediting his mentorship work and community programs as evidence that his impact was never solely tied to what he accomplished on the field.
Cleveland’s linebacker room has adapted in his absence, with Carson Schwesinger, originally drafted as insurance against the possibility that Owusu-Koramoah might not return, going on to win Defensive Rookie of the Year in his place last season. Whether football is ultimately still in his future remains an open question, but his willingness to build something new during this uncertain stretch offers a compelling look at how he is choosing to define this chapter of his life.
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