Former Raiders RB Napoleon McCallum Urges Nick Chubb: 'You Gotta Weigh Your Future Life'

On Monday night, Nick Chubb suffered an injury so gruesome the ESPN broadcast refused to show the replay. Most of us can't comprehend what the Cleveland Browns' star running back is dealing with.

But if anyone understands, it's Napoleon McCallum.

McCallum is a Navy veteran who played running back for the Los Angeles Raiders. But in 1994, he suffered a career-ending injury on Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers. So when the 59 year old saw Chubb's injury, he got flashbacks.

"It's hard to watch, and it brings back so many memories," McCallum told TMZ Sports. "When I see the knee going backwards the way way it did... you feel bad for him. You feel pain, you feel, you know, a little sick because of what happened."

(Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

McCallum's career ended prematurely when 49ers linebacker Ken Norton Jr. twisted him to the ground. As the two went down, McCallum's left cleat stuck, dislocating his knee. McCallum suffered a complete hyperextension of his left knee and a ruptured artery. He also tore three ligaments, tore the calf and hamstring from the bone and suffered nerve damage in the knee.

This video is BRUTAL. You've been warned.

Nick Chubb injury is eerily similar to McCallum's experience.

Chubb's foot was planted when Pittsburgh Steelers' safety Minkah Fitzpatrick hit the running back's knee. The joint bent sideways at a 90-degree angle. The Browns knew immediately he was done — at least for the season.

It looked a lot like what happened to McCallum almost 30 years ago.

"When they initially told me on the field that I dislocated my knee, I just felt like, well, it's just like a finger. You know, you pop it back in place, and it'll be a week or a couple of weeks and I'll come back," McCallum said.

"And when I asked the doctor when I could come back, he said, 'You don't understand. We're worried about you keeping your leg. And we got to do emergency surgery right now, do a bypass so that we can get blood flowing to your leg so we don't have to cut it off.'"

Running back Napoleon McCallum runs with the ball during a game against the San Diego Chargers. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

Luckily, as far as we know, Chubb is not at risk of losing his leg. But this is the second time the 27 year old has experienced a devastating injury to that same knee.

While playing for Georgia in 2015, Chubb suffered a dislocated knee, three torn ligaments (posterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral and lateral collateral) and cartilage damage in a game against Tennessee.

And at some point, McCallum said, Chubb is going to have a difficult decision to make: Is it worth it to play again?

"It's a fun game, I understand. It's hard to leave," McCallum said. "And you just gotta weigh your future life and all the great things that you can do with family and friends. And I just wish him the best."