Mason Rudolph, the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, recently led his team to an epic 34-11 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. After the victory, one which occurred after Rudolph started for the first time since November of 2021, Rudloph thanked the Lord for the victory and opportunity rather than gloating about it.
In fact, Rudolph, the grandson of a pastor, said that God helped him through hard and dark times, leading to him finally making it to this moment and being able to succeed. As background, Rudolph was drafted before the 2018 season by the Steelers, but gradually performed less well and was relegated to the second and third-string role over 2021 and 2022, though the Steelers kept him around.
Then, finally given the opportunity to start again, Rudolph had one of the best games he’s ever had in the NFL. Playing against the Bengals on Saturday night, Rudolph completed 17 of 27 passes for 290 passing yards and two touchdowns.
But then he gave the glory to God rather than praising himself when speaking to NBC’s Kathryn Tappen after the game. He said, “First off, I wanna say, just so thankful to my Creator, Jesus Christ, for giving me the opportunity to play this game and for carrying me through dark times, and getting me back here for this special moment.” Watch him here:
This isn’t the first time that Rudolph has spoken about his faith. In a Fellowship of Christian Athletes interview in 2017, for example, the then-Oklahoma State quarterback said that Christ is at the center of his football career and the foundation upon whom he leans when he needs help and support.
Speaking on that, Rudolph told the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, “Christ is at the center of it. It’s Christ who will always be there for you; He’s your foundation. So just getting in the word and leaning on a few of my life verses throughout the week, as well as constant communication with my parents and grandparents – that’s my secret to success.”
Further, Rudolph then indicated that he wanted to use his football career and the platform he gains from it to speak about Jesus, saying, “I passionately pursue Christ because I want to be a witness for Him and use this platform to impact our community.”
Similarly, around the same time, he told the Oklahoman that his football platform is one he wants to use for Christ, saying, “This platform that I’m on is a blessing. It’s given to me to be able to affect other people’s lives in a positive way, be a witness for Christ.”
The FCA director at that time told the Oklahoman that Rudolph cares deeply about helping others whenever possible, particularly young children on whom he can make a positive impression and help out. Explaining that attitude, the FCA director said, “Different people are touched different ways, and I just think he loves kids, loves meeting kids and trying to help them.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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