The Ghanaian Minaret

Accra : Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, an American football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL), has accepted Islam.

The 24-year-old of Ghanaian descent became a Muslim when he paid a courtesy call on the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Usman Nuhu Sharubutu, at his Fadama residence in Accra.

He took the shahada, “a testament of faith,” at the hands of the Chief Imam and was given the Muslim name “Usman Sharubutu.”

The Chief Imam, in a remark, said the gift of Islam was given to those whom Allah loved the most, and for that matter, Owusu-Koramoah must regard himself as being loved and favoured by Allah.

“Allah loves the repentant, and he loves those who are holy,” he said.

He advised the athlete to honour his obligations to Allah as a Muslim by ensuring that he observed the five obligatory prayers: fast in the month of Ramadan, go for Hajj, and give zakat annually.

The athlete, for his part, expressed gratitude to all those who eased his path to accepting Islam.

“This moment is a pivotal moment in my life, and it is priceless to me,” Mr. Owusu-Koramoah said.

Owusu-Koramoah grew up in Hampton, Virginia, and attended Bethel High School.

He is of Ghanaian descent through his father Andrew, who met his wife, Beverly, in England, before moving to Virginia in 1998.

Owusu-Koramoah was rated a three-star recruit and initially committed to play college football at the University of Virginia in 2016 before decommitting to Notre Dame.

The Cleveland Browns selected Owusu-Koramoah in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft.

He signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $6.5 million, on June 6, 2021, and was placed on the team’s COVID-19 reserve list at the start of training camp before being activated on August 3.

Koramoah recorded his first career sack on Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields in Week 3 of the 2021 season.