Over the weekend, NFL star Patrick Mahomes managed to overcome an ankle injury and help the Chiefs beat the Bengals, then, when asked about the injury and his perseverance, gave the glory to God rather than patting himself on the back.
Here’s what Fox News Digital had to report on Mahomes powering through the injury to recover and lead his team to victory:
Patrick Mahomes played the AFC Championship Game through a high-ankle sprain and gave the closest thing a football player can to a Michael Jordan-esque performance in the 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
In the fourth quarter, Mahomes set the Kansas City Chiefs apart from the Bengals with a 5-yard run and as he ran out of bounds he was pushed from behind by Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai. The defender was penalized for unnecessary roughness and flag was thrown. It moved the Chiefs up 15 yards.
Following that victory, Mahomes spoke to CBS News’ Tracy Wolfson and spoke about how God helped him recover and overcome the injury, saying:
“First off, I wanna thank God, man. He healed my body this week to battle through that. He gave me the strength to be out here.”
He then went on to say how his team stepped up to beat the Bengals, saying: “I was with this team, man. We played together. I said it from the beginning, when we were in the locker room, I said we gotta be together and this team stepped up. It’s a great football team and we showed this place that it’s Arrowhead, it’s not Burrowhead out here.”
Mahomes isn’t the only player to praise God. Brock Purdy, the 49ers rookie quarterback is known for his Christian faith as well, as Rev. Franklin Graham posted about on Facebook, saying:
“Congratulations to QB Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers on their win last night over the Dallas Cowboys! They’re now just one game away from the Super Bowl! In addition to being a super talented football player, I love the fact that Brock Purdy is so open about his faith in Jesus Christ.”
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“He told the media his secret, “I’m a faith-based guy so that’s how I stay grounded…at the end of the day I know that I’m not defined by the wins or losses as a person.” I haven’t rooted for the 49ers since Joe Montana, but I’m sure pulling for them now!”
Graham also said, in a post about Purdy and his faith, “He gives all the credit to the Lord Jesus Christ. ‘Every time I play—no matter what happens—I want others to see God through my actions. Every time I step on the field I want to bring Him glory. Even when we lose, I point to God and thank Him for the opportunity. Everything happens for a reason; it’s all a lesson from the Lord. It’s a game, it’s not my life.’”
Let’s hope more athletes and high-profile individuals learn from Mahomes and Prudy and express their faith publically!
By: Will Tanner. Follow me on Twitter @Will_Tanner_1
Featured image credit: By All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA – Patrick Mahomes, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=112095786