On Saturday, the Houston Texans faced off against the Baltimore Ravens, resulting in a 34 to 10 victory for the Ravens. The defeat in the playoffs, however, did not deter the Texans' rookie quarterback, C.J. Stroud, from sharing his faith in the post-game press conference.
"It's what I lean on through thick and thin. I know I'm upset right now, but I'm really just blessed looking back on this year," the 22-year-old football player told reporters after the game. A number of players have reportedly reached out to Stroud, thanking him for his openness around his faith and love for Jesus Christ. When asked about other players reaching out, Stroud explained, "I'm not doing it to look cool. I'm doing it because that's what God called me to do."
"This opportunity we had today to play in front of millions of people. I'm just really grateful to God on all the opportunities He's blessed me with. I'm just gonna lean on Him, and I know that this isn't the end for me. It's a lot of more football for me to play, and I'm just excited for that. And I'm super blessed with the guys who I lined up with every week this year," he continued, per Fox News. "And I'm just really thankful to God on how much he's brought me from – I can go all the way to when I was a kid to college to Week 1 to now. I've grown as a person and as a man of God in a lot of different ways. I'm just really blessed for that."
Stroud's faith came under scrutiny last week after NBC News decided to omit comments he made following his win over the Indianapolis Colts earlier this month. NBC News selectively edited the clip to omit mentions of God and Jesus Christ and instead focus on Stroud's love for the city of Houston. In the original clip, the ESPN reporter asked Stroud about what it felt like going into the playoffs. Stroud quickly responded by tearfully explaining that he couldn't do anything but "thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
"I put a lot of work in. My team has. Everybody counted us out from the start, so it is just special to see the city of Houston coming up again, and I'm just blessed enough to be the vessel that Christ picked to lead this great franchise. So I could do nothing but just thank the Lord," he continued. The quarterback then proceeded to explain that he had written "to the glory of God," triple 7s, a cross, Proverbs 3:5-6, and various other abbreviations.
The reporter then asked Stroud what he thought he showed everyone who was watching, to which C.J. responded, "I think it's not me. It's my teammates. My linemen, my receivers running great routes, my running backs doing their job, our tight ends, our defense being really great. It's not just me out there. But I think tonight, we showed the world what the Texans can do, and we are going to continue to do that. God won't put nothing on me that I can't handle. I feel like who I am as a person, the work I know I put in, that's plenty. I put my blood, sweat, and tears into this, and it is just really cool to see the fruits of your labor come out. I am just super blessed."
Following the game, Stroud led over a dozen of his fellow players and coaching staff in a prayer on the field. While the number of Americans who openly share their faith and attend church has declined in recent decades, it is heartwarming to see such a public display of faith from a young and successful quarterback in the NFL.
Watch the interview that won Stroud praise from Christians across America below:
“I'm just blessed enough to be the vessel that Christ picked to lead this great franchise. So I could do nothing but just thank the Lord.”
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) January 7, 2024
- #WeAreTexans Rookie QB C.J. Stroud after clinching a playoff berth pic.twitter.com/7O5L3bPn6F
You can follow Sterling on X/Twitter here.
- Article Source:
DC Enquirer
- Photo: X/@JonnyRoot_
Powered by StructureCMS™ Comments
Comments