He’s a Heisman Trophy winner, a college football national champion, a former NFL quarterback, an ESPN analyst, a professional baseball player and now, Tim Tebow is soon to be a husband.
On Thursday, Tebow announced on Instagram that he proposed to girlfriend and 2017 Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters
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The 31-year-old Tebow is expected to be at Spring Training in 2019 with the Mets, with the possibility of him making his major league debut at some point during the season.
Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Dallas Cowboys have a new word to describe their mindset on and off the field each week: “Godfidence.” It’s a word head coach Brian Schottenheimer brought into the team’s vocabulary as he looks to build a culture of faith, purpose and brotherhood.
For Schottenheimer, his faith in Jesus isn’t merely a motivational tool that he pulls out when things are going well. It’s at the center of how he views his life and his work, and it’s something he’s made clear is the most important thing to him since he took over as head coach in January 2025.
“That’s who he is,” quarterback Dak Prescott said during his press conference after Sunday’s 34-30 win over Houston. “That’s who I am, and that’s who a lot of our guys on our team are. Just trying to be contagious, understanding that we’re all here because of God and we’re all here to serve a greater purpose.”
Prescott has been with the Cowboys for 11 seasons and played under three different head coaches. He said there’s a noticeable difference in the culture under Schottenheimer, especially as it pertains to players feeling more comfortable in expressing and being vocal about their faith.
There usually aren’t many empty seats at team chapels, which Prescott said is also a credit to team chaplain Jonathan Evans and his father, Dr. Tony Evans.
“I’ve been through so much in my life. God’s always been the reason and Who I fall back on and my refuge,” Prescott said. “I can’t thank Him enough and never will be able to thank Him enough. So just to see that transcend throughout our team, starting with our head coach, is special. It’s something we take pride in, but at the end of the day, it’s about giving Him the glory.”
The Cowboys are 2-2 and enter a primetime game on “Thursday Night Football” against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dallas is averaging 30.5 points per game, which is tied for second in the NFL, with Schottenheimer in his second year as head coach and primary playcaller after serving as the offensive coordinator under Mike McCarthy from 2023 to 2024.
Schottenheimer’s message on the field so far this season has been about consistency and finishing. And connecting it all is the idea that they’re one family. Schottenheimer makes no apologies for what fuels him.
“God is the center of everything that I do — as a husband, father, football coach, whatever,” he said in his press conference Monday. “I think it’s very strong among our team.”
He displays that faith with his action, but also publicly on his body. He has five tattoos that he says remind him of his “whys.” On his left forearm is “Jireh” which is Hebrew for “The Lord will provide.” Near that one are three nails in the form of a cross.
When McCarthy and the Cowboys agreed to part ways, there was always a risk that coordinators like Schottenheimer would also be left out of a job if the new head coach wanted to bring in their own hires. At 51 years old, Schottenheimer had put together a lengthy resume as a position coach and coordinator, so he’d likely be able to find work on another staff. But the thought of having to move and start over again elsewhere crossed his and his wife Gemmi’s minds.
Their faith kept them grounded, she recently said.
“If we didn’t have our faith, I think we could’ve crumbled many times,” Gemmi said this summer on the “Twins Take Podcast.” “This is such an unstable life that we live and you never know what’s next. It’s really year-to-year and it’s a lot of uncertainty. But I think we’ve always had this solid foundation of knowing that the Lord’s never going to leave us and He’s never going to guide us in the wrong direction. We may not like it, but I think we know that what we’re doing is exactly what we’re supposed to be doing.”
Whatever his next path looked like, Schottenheimer still hoped that being a head coach would be part of his resume one day. And as it turned out, he didn’t have to move, and his chance to become a head coach also came. Instead of hiring an external candidate, owner and general manager Jerry Jones elevated Schottenheimer to head coach ahead of the 2025 season.
“We were really just obedient in that regard and we were just like, ‘Whatever You have in store for us is what’s meant to be,’ and then it happened,” Gemmi said. “You have to just trust that whatever path you’re on, that’s exactly where God has you and you’re supposed to be there. You never know when something is going to happen.”
Among his many stops, Schottenheimer recalled being a quarterbacks coach under his father, longtime NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer, for the San Diego Chargers in 2003. Team chaplain Shawn Mitchell made a profound impact on him and his faith, and the younger Schottenheimer felt led to start a coach’s Bible study. He was just 28 years old and it was about six months before he found out he had thyroid cancer. Meanwhile, Gemmi was three months pregnant with their son, Sutton.
Brian credits that season of life to helping him get much more connected with God personally, and it also helped strengthen his and Gemmi’s marriage and faith walks.
“Some of the things that we’ve been through are bigger than football,” he said on the podcast. “Football is our job. It’s not our life. We love it. It’s what we do, but it all starts with God.”
Atlanta Braves outfielder Brewer Hicklen celebrates a double, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
It was always Brewer Hicklen’s dream to play for the Atlanta Braves. After somewhat of a journeyman major league career, the Huntsville, Alabama, native is getting to live that out.
The Braves signed him last November, and after spending much of the season in Triple-A, the 30-year-old outfielder was recalled to the major league squad July 12. He made a career-high 20 MLB appearances this season and is now a reserve outfielder getting his first taste of the MLB playoffs. He’s appeared in three postseason games, coming in each time as a pinch runner and defensive replacement, and made his first plate appearance in Tuesday’s 3-1 Game 3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He doesn’t have the biggest role on the team by any stretch, but he’s arguably one of the most vocal about his faith in Jesus. Ahead of Monday’s Game 2, he recorded a video inside Dodger Stadium reflecting on the moment of being in the postseason with his childhood team while also trying to remind himself and anyone watching to keep such things in their proper perspective.
He had just read 1 John 2:17, which says, “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
“I can’t help but to think that as a man who’s, in the worldly view, I’m living the dream,” he said. “It’s so important for me to remain steady and make sure my pursuit of my dream never misaligns with the purpose that God has given me, and that’s to love God, to love people and to have fun doing so. And to let everybody know how incredible it is to walk with Christ.
“So don’t forget today to go make a difference in your inner circle. What has God done in your life lately that you can share with others and impact them?”
Hicklen logged 10 hits in his 20 regular-season appearances this year, including five doubles, and drove in three runs. But his calling card throughout his career has been his speed. In nine pro seasons across all levels, he’s racked up 287 stolen bases. His career high was 44 in 2024 for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, and he also logged 40 steals in 2021 for the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals. He had 30 steals this season for Triple-A Gwinnett before the Braves called him up.
That speed is where the Braves have found the most value for him on the roster — especially as pinch runner. Perhaps his most impactful moment this season was scoring a game-tying run on Sept. 11 against the Philadelphia Phillies in the bottom of the 10th inning. The Braves ended up winning in the 11th to earn a big late-season win against their division rivals.
“Whatever they need, I want to do the best that I can,” he said after that game. “To be able to call my name in that opportunity was really special … to be in that position was incredible.”
Hicklen posted earlier that week about how he hopes to use any opportunities he gets in baseball to point people back to Christ.
“So grateful to live out this dream alongside my family,” he wrote. “After years of obedience, I’m blown away by the doors He has opened and the opportunities He’s given me. Since I know tomorrow is not guaranteed, I’ve held onto this verse: ‘This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ My prayer has been to use every opportunity to share the Gospel, spread His love, and point others back to Him.”
During his baseball journey, he was able to baptize several of his teammates in 2024 and 2025. Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2017, Hicklen made his major league debut on May 26, 2022, and spent six games with the Royals before being traded to the Phillies organization in August 2023. He then signed with the Brewers organization in November 2023 and said in 2024 that God placed him in Nashville for such a time as this, referring to the opportunity to baptize and witness to teammates.
“I just asked God, ‘Place me somewhere where You feel like I could have some influence and have some opportunity to make eternal connections with some teammates,’” Hicklen told Sports Spectrum in 2024.
He’s now hoping this extended stay with the Braves that has lasted into the postseason is the start of more regular time in the majors, but either way he hopes to use his platform to point people to Christ. On Sept. 20, ahead of a game against the Houston Astros, he shared some thoughts from 1 Peter 2:1-3.
“I think God knows a lot of people are a Christian when it’s convenient,” Hicklen said in the video. “But He’s challenging us to be desperate at all times — to seek after and want to grow in our faith. Like a baby, they can’t grow without milk and the nutrients that it provides. And with the metaphor of milk, like a believer you cannot grow without the Word of God speaking to you and God penetrating your heart.”
He then challenged anyone watching with a question: “Are you a Christian when it’s convenient, or are you in desperation of learning more about the One who uniquely created you for a specific purpose?”
Hicklen and the Braves take the field at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday in a win-or-go-home Game 4 against the Dodgers in Atlanta.
Carolina Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan points Heavenward after one of his touchdowns, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Carolina Panthers second-year wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan chose a great time to have his best game as a professional, as he snagged 14 receptions for 192 yards and two touchdowns to lead Carolina past the Detroit Lions, 32-26, on “Sunday Night Football.” The performance set career highs in both receptions and yards, and it tied a career high in receiving TDs.
Later, the Panthers added another touchdown and a field goal to hold on for the victory, which moved them to 2-2 on the season and guaranteed they’ll be tied atop the NFC South after Week 4 (the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints — both 1-2 — play Monday night).
“Obviously, it’s a good feeling,” McMillan said of his performance in Sunday’s postgame press conference, with his characteristic eye-black crosses still on his face. “It’s just in that moment, I just feel the trust from obviously the coordinators making the call for me, getting the ball in my hands, and obviously [Young] just giving me the opportunity. Just super grateful, for sure.”
McMillan’s two receiving touchdowns under the Sunday night lights were the first two of his 2026-27 season, although he did reach the 100-yard plateau in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. His scoring drought to begin this season nearly mirrored his rookie campaign a year ago, when he didn’t catch a TD until Carolina’s sixth game.
“I’m not really worried about it, man,” McMillan said last year after being asked about his lack of touchdowns early in the season. “God never makes a mistake. When the time comes and it happens, it’s meant to be.”
Despite the delay, McMillan finished last season with seven touchdowns and 1,014 yards on 70 receptions, a performance which earned him NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in February. In his acceptance speech at NFL Honors, McMillan made sure to credit his Heavenly Father.
“God has just been so amazing to me,” he said while wearing a cross necklace and a traditional Hawaiian lei. “He has blessed me with amazing opportunities. He has surrounded me with such incredible people who have invested in me and impacted my life. God is just so amazing. Without Him, none of this would be possible. I’m just so grateful, so blessed, man.”
McMillan was born in Hawaii, and family is central in Hawaiian culture. The McMillans are no different. Tetairoa’s mother, Shawny Dutro, introduced him at NFL Honors wearing a lei of her own. Meanwhile, Tetairoa credits his grandmother, Blanche McMillan, with inspiring him in all areas of his life.
“She inspires me in her faith,” Tetairoa said of his grandmother last season, via Panthers.com. “She’s so strong in her faith. She’s always been the rock of our family. … I feel like she taught me a lot about humility, hospitality, just having a big heart. Even to this day, she still surprises me with how big her heart is.”
Shortly after Tetairoa’s NFL dream came true when Carolina selected him No. 8 overall in the 2025 draft, the McMillan family threw him a party in Hawaii with many friends, such as Fifita, and family in attendance. The party featured worship music, and McMillan even came on stage to lead the crowd in a song.
At one point during the party, Fifita told McMillan, “It’s just amazing to see that as far as you’ve come, as much limelight as you’ve gotten, the attention, all the accolades, you’ve never forgotten who your identity was. You always identify in Christ. You give Him all the glory.”
Praising the Lord is something McMillan did often in the aftermath of the draft, including on social media.
As he seeks to continue to honor God on and off the field, McMillan will have a few extra days to enjoy Sunday’s performance; Carolina is now on its bye week. The Panthers are back in action for a road matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m. ET.
