Last week, the Houston Texans faced off against the Indianapolis Colts, resulting in a hard-fought 23-19 victory for the Texans led by rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud to get into the playoffs. Following the game, the Texans' QB spoke with an ESPN reporter to thank God for his victory; however, NBC News later reposted the segment with the references to God removed.
"NBC is being accused of editing CJ Stroud's postgame interview, cutting out CJ thanking Jesus Christ," wrote MLFootball on X/Twitter. "It seems like being religious and praying to a god is no longer allowed." The removal of Stroud's references to Jesus led to Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) slamming the network, writing, "Leave it to [NBC News] to edit out C.J. Stroud's mention of Jesus Christ. The left's attack on Christianity & its followers is despicable & un-American. People like [Tony Dungy] & C.J. are men of profound faith & appreciation of God that should be celebrated, not censored."
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 original clip and NBC's edited version below:
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