Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson got baptized in the Jordan River on a trip to Israel in the summer of 2017. (Photo Courtesy: NFL Films/YouTube)
Los Angeles Rams legend Eric Dickerson once rushed for 2,105 yards in a season. He 8th on the NFL’s all-time rushing list and is considered one of the best running backs the game has ever seen.
Last summer, Eric and a group of Hall of Famers went to Israel on a trip organized by Patriots owner Robert Kraft. While there, Dickerson made the choice to be baptized in the Jordan River.
“It was a surreal moment. When you walk the places that Christ walked and to be baptized in the Jordan River, it was amazing,” Dickerson told Sports Spectrum. “I was afraid to go. They asked me like three times and I said no. I said I don’t want to get blown up, but I can say this, going to Israel, I never felt unsafe not one time. It was a great trip.”
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING TREY SMITH
Trey Smith is a member of the Kansas City Chiefs on their offensive line. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Chiefs and has been a starter since his rookie year. He was a member of two Super Bowl championship teams and in 2024 was named to his first Pro Bowl.
Today on the podcast, Trey Smith shares his inspiring journey of overcoming adversity, the impact of faith and family, and the importance of resilience in the face of challenges. He reflects on his medical struggles in college, the loss of his mother, and how his faith has guided him through difficult times. Trey emphasizes the power of community, prayer and the lessons learned from his experiences, ultimately encouraging others to find strength in their own journeys.
Tebow and his wife, Demi-Leigh, joyfully announced in an Instagram post that they welcomed their first child, Daphne Reign Tebow, into the world on Sunday.
In a follow-up post revealing their daughter’s name, Demi-Leigh shared the importance of the names Daphne and Reign. Daphne was her great aunt’s name, a woman who served as a grandmother figure to Demi-Leigh growing up. Meanwhile, Reign has spiritual significance.
“[Reign is] inspired by a precious little girl Tim and I have loved deeply for years,” she wrote. “Her story has shaped our hearts in ways I can’t even begin to explain. But more than anything, her name reminds us that when you’re adopted into God’s family, you become a child of the King. You were made to rule and reign — not in power, but in purpose, love, and identity.
“So here she is — our daughter. Our answered prayer. Daphne Reign Tebow — created in the image of God. Royalty as His princess. Our biggest prayer over her is to reign in God’s purpose for her life.”
“If [the term ‘son of God’ is] used throughout history as a term for kings and for monarchs, then it is a term for royalty,” Tebow explained in a clip of one of the many sermons he’s delivered, which he posted on X on Wednesday. “What if our God loves you so much that when He says you were made in His image, He’s saying, ‘I love you so much that I see you as royalty.’?”
For most of history, the phrase “made in the image of” was reserved for kings and monarchs. But in Genesis, God gives that title to all of us. Think about that…
The God of the universe looks at you and says: “I see you with royal worth.” Not because of what you’ve done, but… pic.twitter.com/gqmeCtD4uM
“I used to think being made in God’s image was just a label we wore. But it’s so much more than that,” Tebow wrote in another post. “You are His image, part of His design, part of His story. That truth changes everything. Your worth isn’t something you wear. It’s who you are.”
Tebow first rose to prominence as a college football player at Florida from 2006-2009, becoming a media sensation for frequently sharing publicly about his faith in Christ. With the Gators, he won two national championships (2006, 08) and the 2007 Heisman Trophy. The Denver Broncos drafted him No. 25 overall in 2010, and he spent two seasons with the franchise. Primarily a backup as a rookie, Tebow became the team’s starter in 2011. He helped turn that season around as the Broncos advanced to the postseason and won a playoff game. He was traded to the Jets that offseason and was released after a year in New York.
In 2016, Tebow announced that he would pursue a career as a professional baseball player. Despite not playing organized baseball since his junior year of high school, Tebow impressed scouts enough that the New York Mets signed him to a minor-league deal. He played in the Mets’ minor-league system before formally announcing his retirement from baseball in February 2021.
When his former college football coach, Urban Meyer, was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of the 2021 season, Tebow signed a one-year contract with the team. His brief attempt to return to the NFL as a tight end came to a close when he was released in the preseason.
Tebow’s days tossing touchdowns and hammering home runs may have passed, but his days changing diapers and singing lullabies have just begun. He’s proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ with millions watching around the world, and he’s trusted his Heavenly Father to equip him with the words to speak at those times. Now as a father — a role he’s never had before — he will trust his Heavenly Father to guide him, just as He’s always done.
Patriots rookie TreVeyon Henderson teaches kids about the Bible at a youth football camp (Photo courtesy X/@accessthewalk).
Former Ohio State Buckeyes TreVeyon Henderson and Gee Scott Jr. are looking forward to their first NFL training camp with the New England Patriots later this month, where they will prepare to make an immediate impact on the field this fall. Yet they haven’t waited until September to make an impact in the Massachusetts community they now call home, or in the Ohio community that molded them into who they are.
Both players provided spiritual leadership for the Buckeyes’ faith-fueled national championship team and have continued to find ample opportunities to share their faith in Christ since joining the Patriots.
Scott — a tight end who signed with New England as an undrafted free agent — and three of his Patriots teammates joined community members and police officers at a Faith Night hosted by Bethel AME Church in Boston on May 30. Three weeks later, Scott and Henderson (a running back and the No. 38 overall pick) were both guest speakers at a “Revival” worship night organized by the Duxbury High School Bible Club, about an hour southeast of Boston. The players closed the night by delivering powerful testimonies of faith in Christ to a crowd of more than 400.
Their community outreach has extended outside the Boston area as well. The week after the Duxbury event, Henderson was at Storyside Church in Bellville, Ohio, where he reportedly declined an appearance fee. His reason? “My salvation is free and so am I.”
Prior to his final season at Ohio State last August, Henderson was a guest on the Sports Spectrum Podcast. He shared in the episode how he came to faith in college and why he choose to return for one more year rather than enter the 2024 NFL Draft.
“When I met Jesus, He filled me with the love that I’d been looking for in football and money and my family and women,” the three-time All-Big Ten selection said on the podcast. “He gave me the joy that I’d been searching for. … He filled me with happiness that I was looking for. What my heart was craving, what me heart needed — Jesus, He filled me with it. He gave it to me.”
Meanwhile, Scott joined the “What’s Up” podcast, part of the Sports Spectrum Podcast Network, in December. He discussed the ways his faith helps him handle the pressure and expectations that come with being a high-level athlete.
“I have a faith that all of these things that I’m going through are working together to refine me and make me a better version of myself,” he said on the podcast. “Having faith through that gives me freeing peace while I play that I’m not here to perform for man or for fans.”
The two friends and teammates reunited once again on Thursday to host a youth football camp in Mansfield, Ohio, in partnership with The Walk Foundation, an organization focused on spiritual outreach through sports.
Smiles & Bibles ✝️
Former Ohio State and New England Patriots rookies TreVeyon Henderson & Gee Scott Jr. held a youth football camp for the kids of Mansfield, Ohio. pic.twitter.com/FEQUbQgw7f
Both Henderson and Scott are also extremely active in sharing their faith on social media. Henderson declares that “Jesus saved my life” on both his Instagram and X accounts, while Scott describes himself as a “follower of Christ” on X and writes that, “I know who I am because I know Whose I am” on Instagram.
Henderson included a Bible verse from Acts in his Instagram post celebrating his selection by the Patriots.
While Scott was training, traveling around proclaiming the Gospel, and settling into life as a Patriot, he was also in the midst of planning another significant life event. Over the Fourth of July weekend, he proposed to his girlfriend, Olivia. Scott gave glory to God and cited Matthew 19:6 in his Instagram post celebrating the engagement.
As he gets ready to compete for a spot on New England’s roster, Scott will continue to draw strength from the Lord.
“I just believe if I have God with me, that is my strength,” he said on the “What’s Up” podcast. “I’m usually not the one that’s doing a whole bunch of pumping up because I just know the strength that God gives me is enough.”
Henderson’s place on the team may be more secure as New England’s second-round pick, and he knows he is playing for God’s glory and wants to utilize his platform as much as possible.
“I’m just going to continue to let Him guide me and work through me for His glory,” Henderson said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast. “I want to continue to decrease. When people see me, I want them to see the Lord. I want them to see His power to save, to transform. I just want to let His light shine through me.”
The Patriots begin training camp on July 23. New England’s first preseason game is against the Washington Commanders on Aug. 8, and it hosts the Las Vegas Raiders in its regular season opener on Sept. 7.
Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud smiles on the practice field, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Texans superstar quarterback C.J. Stroud regularly gives back to the people of Houston on Sundays in the fall with his spectacular plays and record-breaking performances. Yet even in the NFL offseason, when the spotlight on his life retreats for a time, Stroud still finds ways to give back to the city that has embraced him as its own.
Most recently, the youth at Space City Church were the beneficiaries of the third-year quarterback’s generosity.
Some of the kids at Space City Church were in need of financial assistance to attend a church camp in Waxahachie, Texas, later this week, so pastor Vaughaligan Walwyn decided to reach out for some help. He typed up an email to the C.J. Stroud Foundation, and not only was it answered, it was answered with a promise that the fees for seven kids (the same as Stroud’s jersey number) would be fully covered.
“It means the world,” Walwyn, affectionately known as Pastor Von Won, told KPRC 2 in Houston last week. “For C.J. and his foundation to pay those fees and help us in any capacity, it’s a blessing. It can be a big pressure sometimes, and the last thing we want is a parent stressing out. Church camp impacted my life in a huge way.
“Ultimately, it’s a blessing to see the C.J. Stroud Foundation help us. We seek God to work through them and give us the fuel we need for ministry.”
This story really started last September, however, when Texans team chaplain Mikado Hinson invited Pastor Von Won to speak at the team’s chapel service ahead of its Week 4 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Houston won the contest, 24-20, following Stroud’s game-winning touchdown pass with 18 seconds remaining.
Walwyn’s message from the night before hit home with Stroud, so much so that it was still on the mind of the 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in his postgame press conference.
“[Pastor Von Won] was talking about, ‘You gotta go through the mud before you get to the miracle,'” Stroud said. “That resonated with me. Not only just in ball but just in life. It’s not always perfect but, you know, the mud makes you who you are. I think the mud we have is self-inflicted mud, but I feel like that kind of motivates us in a sense. It motivates me.”
Last August, in the lead-up to his second professional season, Stroud joined the Sports Spectrum Podcast to discuss his identity in Christ and his boldness to speak His name publicly.
“People will assume that since I proclaimed Christ that I’m perfect,” he said on the podcast. “I am far from it, and we all are. We all are striving to be more Christlike. … I’m flawed just like everybody else, but I do believe in the perfect One. And He’s the One who keeps me humble. He’s the One who gave me my talents and He will get the glory for it right back.”
In January, he said his goal for 2025 had nothing to do with football.
“Really just locking back in with the Lord. … That’s really my 2025 goal,” he said. “It’s just to be locked in with the Lord as much as possible. Fasting and praying, being a part of getting discipled.”
Stroud has quickly endeared himself to the people of Houston with his leadership, his play on the field, and his community involvement off of it. As millions of adoring fans look on, Stroud will seek to continue to live boldly for Christ and bring glory to Him.
