Houston Texans quarterback C. J. Stroud is showing an impressive level of forgiveness towards those that tried to censor any reference he makes to his faith.
After defeating the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card Round of the NFL playoffs earlier this month, Stroud held a postgame interview with NBC’s Kathryn Tappen.
He started by giving glory to Jesus and thanking him for the win.
“First of all, I just want to give all glory and praise to my lord and savior, Jesus Christ,” Stroud said.
Most athletes are incredibly self-absorbed, so it’s awesome to see one of the league’s best players honor God instead of himself after a big win.
However, NBC seemingly took issue with Stroud’s comments. When the media outlet published that clip on social media, NBC edited out the portion where Stroud referenced God.
In the video below, you’ll see both the original interview seen on TV, and the edited version published on social media.
REPORT: @NBCSports is going viral for editing QB CJ Stroud's interview, which purposely cuts out him thanking Jesus Christ. pic.twitter.com/ElNoeAumbU
— NFLCentral (@NFLTrenchBattle) January 17, 2024
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If that were me, I’d be furious. There’s nothing dangerous or unwholesome about Stroud’s comment. But given that our media hates Christianity, it’s not surprising to see stuff like this happen (even though it’s still discouraging).
However, Stroud took the high road and actually said he prays for the people that censored his faith.
"I love everybody. Christ has called us to love one another and just shine a light," Stroud said. "That comes from Him. I really just really want to show that love and just really want people to experience my experience with finding Christ for you all and having that relationship with Him."
"I just really want to show love and show people what I stand for,” he added. “I pray for everybody, and I don’t really have any feeling toward it."
It’s so easy to want to lash out in vengeance when you’ve been wronged. But it’s far more uncommon to show forgiveness to someone who did everything they could to silence you. That’s a loud testament to Stroud’s faith and the God he worships.
This is the faith and light that NBC tried to snuff out on social media. I think they’d be wise to let it shine a little more. America would benefit from hearing about a religion that transforms people like this.
And it's not like they'll ever completely stop it. Guys like San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy are reminding us that God isn't silenced America's media companies.
“First of all Glory to God.”
— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) January 29, 2024
Brock Purdy and the 49ers are on their way to the Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/sfMyuDzP2y
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