Getty Wide receiver K.J. Osborn of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates after an overtime win against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on October 17, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
NFL players are often regarded as heroes to the millions of youngsters who look up to them and to the fans who watch them play every weekend during the season.
On Sunday night, March 5, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver K.J. Osborn became a different kind of hero as he helped pull and injured man from the burning wreckage of a horrific car crash.
Osborn tweeted about the experience on Monday.
Right Place Right Time. 💜
“Right Place Right Time 💜,” Osborn wrote.
The wide receiver elaborated in one of the four split-screens of the Twitter post.
Last night myself and these 3 absolute heroes helped save a man’s life by rescuing him from a vehicle up in flames after a bad crash. A situation I’d never imagine being a part of in a million years.
I’ll leave you with this. God is real. And His LOVE is real. He will send his angels to be camped around you and provide you with his grace and mercy.
K.J. Osborn Elaborates on Life-Saving Efforts During ESPN Podcast
GettyWide receiver K.J. Osborn of the Minnesota Vikings kneels in the end zone prior to a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on January 2, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Osborn appeared on the Monday edition of ESPN’s The Adam Schefter Podcast to share some of the details of his heroics, as well as what was going through his mind when his Uber driver shrieked upon seeing the mangled vehicle engulfed in rising flames.
“In my head, I’m thinking, ‘This is obviously a big risk. … I don’t have experience in this,'” Osborn told Schefter. “In my head, I’m thinking, ‘This car can blow up at any second, and it can all be over.'”
Osborn and the Uber driver, along with the help of two fellow good Samaritans, made contact with the man inside the vehicle and helped him escape the wreckage via the passenger side window. Osborn then carried the victim away from the flames and came to rest at a safe distance, as all involved awaited the arrival of an ambulance.
“We saved that man’s life,” Osborn continued. “He wouldn’t be able to get out of that vehicle without our help.”
K.J. Osborn Important Member of Minnesota Vikings Offensive Roster
GettyWide receiver K.J. Osborn of the Minnesota Vikings warms up prior to the NFC Wild Card Playoff Game against the New York Giants at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 15, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Osborn’s actions Sunday night are impressive enough on their own, but are even more so when considering he is just 25 years old.
The wide receiver has been a member of the Vikings roster for the past three seasons after the team selected him in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of the University of Miami.
Osborn worked his way into the regular rotation after a rookie season in which he wasn’t targeted once in the passing game. Over the last two years, however, the wideout has played in all 34 regular season games and the team’s sole playoff contest in January. He is credited with 18 regular season starts, per Pro Football Reference.
Osborn has hauled in 110 catches for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns over the past two seasons, and is likely to feature prominently in the Vikings offense again next year. He is under contract with Minnesota through the 2023 season, after which he will become an unrestricted free agent.