11 NFL Stars You Didn't Know Were Christian
Emmitt Smith (retired), Running Back, Dallas Cowboys
As Smith made his way to becoming NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards, he admits his Christian faith took a backseat to football and club hopping once his boyhood dream of becoming a Dallas Cowboy became a reality. But Smith could not live without God for too long.
At one point during his career, Smith wrote that he became so separated from God that he began "thirsting for the Lord" and credits Dallas megachurch Pastor T.D. Jakes with bringing him back to God.
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"I ran into Pastor T.D. Jakes shortly afterward, and it all changed. Faith became my number one priority," Smith said. "My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ gave me the passion and love to do whatever it is I wanted to do. He showed me that I can do whatever I want to do if I keep Him first."
Deion Sanders (retired), Hall of Fame Cornerback
Sanders, who will be remembered as one of the most versatile two-sport pro athletes America has ever seen, said he had it all when he was in the prime of his career. The future football hall-of-famer had all the money, fame and sex he could possibly ask for. However, he admits there was one thing missing from his life that kept him feeling empty inside and prevented him from achieving true happiness.
"Success almost ruined my life, but thank God, I came to Him just in time. And that made all the difference," the hall-of-famer said. "When I found Christ, I found what had been missing all those years. Only then was I able to trust God's will for my life."
In his Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement speech in July 2011, Sanders thanked the Lord and listed about 10 pastors that have helped guide him in his walk with the Lord. Those on the list included Dallas megachurch Pastor T.D. Jakes and Pastor Tracy David Forbes, who he says led him to Jesus.
Chris Carter (retired), Hall of Fame Wide Receiver
Carter, a 2013 inductee in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and an eight-time Pro Bowler, said he became a Christian after his rookie season in 1988, thanks to his teammates Reggie White and Keith Byars leading him to Christ.
Although Carter said he accepted Jesus at that time, he admits that it still took him a couple of years to fully embrace his faith, give up worldly things and live by God's design.
"The hardest thing for me was realizing that, even though I was a great success in the game of football, I was really nothing without God," Carter asserted. "I had temporary happiness, but I was never satisfied. My only satisfaction has come through a relationship with God. Choosing to follow Him was the best decision I've ever made."
Maaddi told CP that many players, like Carter, finally come to the realization that all their money, fame and material assets don't buy happiness and finally get to the point in their lives where they realize that God is the only answer.
"At some point, some of these players realize that there is something missing," Maaddi said. "The most important thing is who you are. Whether you are a doctor or a lawyer or a celebrity or you are someone who is working nine to five, or a janitor, we are all equal in God's eyes and I think at some point, some of these players have come to realize that their money, fame and glory, they can't take it to heaven with them."
Kurt Warner (retired), Quarterback, St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals
It's not easy to go from a guy making a little over five dollars an hour bagging groceries at a local supermarket to becoming a Super Bowl MVP. However, such a feat was accomplished by the four-time Pro Bowler from Iowa.
Although Warner has benefited from the grace of God, he knows that God doesn't specifically help a team win a football game just because players pray for such an outcome. But Warner knows that God does need to be thanked for all the opportunities He grants.
"When you stand up and say 'Thank you Jesus,' they think you are saying ...'Thank you for moving my arm forward and making the ball go into that guy's hands so that we could score a touchdown and win the game," Warner explained. "But in essence, it's a matter of thanking Him for the opportunity, thanking Him for being there in my life, for being a stronghold, for being the focus and the strength to accomplish all things, to accomplish anything, and to be where I am at, to have gone through everything I have gone through. It's a consistent thing in my life."
Maaddi agrees with Warner.
"These players, when they are thanking God and thanking their Lord and Savior, they are not doing it to say 'He loves me more than my opponent,' they are thanking Him for the blessings, they are thanking Him for the opportunity, because many of them may have come from a background where they didn't have much or they could have never dreamed that they would be in this position," Maaddi says.
"Ultimately, they are playing a game and making a lot of money and earning a great living for something that so many people would wish to do."
