Christianity is taking root in the NFL, and the roots continue to strengthen. There has always been a contingency of players that pray and meet before and after games, usually out of the eye of the network camera, as the broadcast partners prefer Colin Kaepernick kneeling to Christian athletes. However, some of the more promising rookies and the league’s biggest stars feel more emboldened to praise God and express their faith openly now than in any season past.
No less than five of the Playoff quarterbacks are open, devout Christians, and the assumed Offensive Rookie of the Year, C.J. Stroud, is in the forefront, so much so that NBC felt the need to edit out his praising of God recently in his postgame comments. The Woke network caught considerable flack for the decision, and considering players like Falcons punter Bradley Pinion, Packers rookie tight end Tucker Kraft, and Ravens coach John Harbaugh are open Christians, might do well in the future to allow players a moment to thank their creator.
It was announced this week that another Christian and familiar face to the NFL will be returning to the sidelines after nine seasons coaching college. Jim Harbaugh, brother of Raven coach John Harbaugh, has accepted a position as Head Coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. Harbaugh will be signing a five-year deal, replacing the fired Brandon Staley.
Once a quarterback in the league and later the coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Harbaugh took his talents to the University of Michigan, where he coached for nine seasons and most recently won a National Championship. Now the NFL will find out if he can resurrect an underachieving Charger squad blessed with talent but short on direction.
Harbaugh talked about the opportunity to coach where he once played: “When I played for the Chargers, the Spanos family could not have been more gracious or more welcoming. Being back here feels like home, and it’s great to see that those things haven’t changed.” More importantly, Harbaugh is a devout Christian and hopes to instill his values and work ethic in Los Angeles.
The new coach also talked about his faith and his priorities: “The only job you start at the top is digging a hole, so we know we’ve got to earn our way. Be better today than yesterday. Be better tomorrow than today. My priorities are faith, family and football, and we are going to attack each with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. This organization is putting in the work — investing capital, building infrastructure and doing everything within its power to win. Great effort equals great results, and we’re just getting started.”
Harbaugh is coming off of a National Championship season marred by controversy and capped off by resilience, and he hopes to bring that to the Chargers. He said about his time in Michigan: “My love for Michigan, playing there and coming back to coach there, leaves a lasting impact. I’ll always be a loyal Wolverine. I’m remarkably fortunate to have been afforded the privilege of coaching at places where life’s journey has created strong personal connections for me.”
The Harbaugh brothers find success and take a strong love of the Lord everywhere they go. Jim was a fiery, hard-nosed player and coach, and he should be able to turn around the Chargers in short order. Most importantly, he will be another strong voice for God in a league that is adding devout Christians yearly. Considering we are only a few years removed from Tim Tebow being castigated for being a Christian, the league is finally headed in a good direction. Watch Coach Harbaugh speak at the March for Life here:
Featured image screen grab from embedded video
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