Baltimore Ravens LB David Ojabo Eyes Return This Season, Enjoys Family Time in London
The Baltimore Ravens are on a mission in London this weekend to defeat the Tennessee Titans and wash away last weekend's loss to the hated Pittsburgh Steelers.
Similarly, Ravens outside linebacker David Ojabo was once a young man on a mission living in a foreign country.
He's achieved his goal of playing in the NFL, and while he continues to work his way off of the injured reserve Ojabo is soaking in the special opportunity to be in London with his family and his teammates.
"I'll be back out there," Ojabo said when asked about his rehab, and is required to miss this weekend and the Ravens' next game as well after going on injured reserve at the beginning of the month.
Until then, he's enjoying the opportunity to travel with his team and reconnect with his family who helped him get to where he is today.
"We're big on family time, so we're just spending time [together and] catching up," Ojabo said when asked about having his family in London this week. "We know our time is very limited, so honestly, we've been at home. We've been to one dinner, but [mostly] just being home, kind of catching up and embracing each other."
Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd (83) is tackled by Ravens safety Geno Stone (26) and linebacker David Ojabo (90).
Albert Cesare-USA Today
Ojabo is originally from Nigeria, but his family moved to Scotland when he was 7 before moving to the United States at the age of 15 for educational and athletic opportunities.
Opportunities more and more players growing up outside of the United States are getting thanks to programs aimed at finding and developing NFL talent around the globe.
"A lot of times, kids like myself and [Daniel Akinkunmi] just need a chance," Ojabo says. "We just need a chance to showcase the God-given talent we have. Timeframe might be a thing, growing up in the sport, but sometimes you're just really athletic and really driven, so I'm glad he got his chance, and I pray he takes full advantage of it."
Akinkunmi is an offensive tackle who received an opportunity to further develop with the NFL Academy in London and recently committed to play collegiate football for the Oklahoma Sooners.
Taking full advantage of his opportunities means he could face Ojabo on an NFL field in the next few years, or if luck finds them, they could end up teammates.
For now, though, Ojabo is focused on taking full advantage of his own opportunities, including having countless friends and family in attendance to watch his Ravens face the Titans on Sunday.
"I have a lot of people [coming to the game]," Ojabo said. "I can't really put a number on it, but like I said, it's a special event. You don't really get it too often, that I'm so close to home and my people could come. So, yes, I have a lot of people coming."
