Jim Kelly 7/18/2018 (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)
There could not have been a better recipient for ESPN’s Jimmy V Award for perseverance than Jim Kelly, who took home the honor during the 2018 ESPY Awards on Wednesday.
The Hall of Fame quarterback has been in and out of the hospital, undergoing surgery for oral cancer since first being diagnosed in 2013. After announcing in March, less than a year after his father passed away, that his cancer had returned, Kelly remains in recovery from a reconstruction of his upper jaw, as ESPN reported. He’s also long been an advocate for raising awareness of Krabbe disease, which claimed the life of his 8-year-old son, Hunter, in 1997.
In accepting the Jimmy V Award for his courage on Wednesday, however, Kelly was nothing but humble. Rather than tout his own battle with cancer, he used almost all of his five-minute speech to thank others — God first among them. Saying he’s “always lived by the four F’s” — fun, family, friends and fans — the Buffalo Bills legend emphasized that his journey of perseverance has been since redefined.
“The one I had but changed was ‘fun,'” he said. “Even though I still have fun, I put the one in there that means more to me now than it ever has. And that’s my faith — my faith in the good Lord that He has plans, He has plans for my life.”
Kelly went on to pay tribute to all the others who have aided in his fight with cancer, from former Bills teammates, his old high school coach, his daughters, his wife and even Buffalo fans. But he also encouraged everyone — not just those fighting cancer — to use the life they’ve been given to uplift others.
“Make a difference today for someone who is fighting for their tomorrow,” he said. “When I look across this arena, and when I talk to people, you don’t need to be a Russell Wilson or an Aaron Rodgers to make a difference out there. Every single person in this room can be a difference-maker. You can be a normal person that gets up every morning and goes to work. But you can be a difference-maker, putting smiles on those faces … If you have somebody out there who’s suffering … what you say to them, that can be the difference.”
Seahawks defensive lineman Mike Morris (left) and offensive lineman Jalen Sundell. (AP Photos)
SAN FRANCISCO — The last time Seattle Seahawks center Jalen Sundell was in the Bay Area, he was quite nervous the night before his game. It had nothing to do with the actual game, but he was tasked with something he’d never done before — preach a sermon to his teammates.
As is common throughout the NFL, the Seahawks hold a chapel service the night before a game. They’re typically led by the team chaplain, who for Seattle is Jonathan Rainey. But Rainey does something unique, possibly the only chaplain in the NFL to do so: He assigns chaplain assistants. Every year, he chooses one from the offense and one from the defense.
This season, Sundell is the offensive assistant. His partner from the defense is defensive end Mike Morris. Rainey’s thinking is that if he’s ever unable to lead chapel, one of his assistants could take his place. But even if they’re never needed as a last-minute fill-in, they will be charged with leading at least one chapel at some point during the season.
Sundell’s time came the night before Seattle’s regular-season finale Jan. 3 against the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California — the site of Sunday’s Super Bowl LX, in which the Seahawks will face the New England Patriots.
“I’d never actually given an actual sermon before,” Sundell told Sports Spectrum on Monday at Super Bowl LX Opening Night in San Jose. “I talked at FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) events and other things like that, but this was challenging. It was great at the same time; it was really sanctifying too. It’s hard to write a message, to do it faithfully. It also just makes you trust in the Lord, allowing Him to have whatever He has to say come through your mouth.”
Sundell’s topic? Money.
“The Lord has really blessed us all with money and, honestly, it can be weighty to know what God wants us to do with His money and how to steward His money. It’s weighty, and it’s a big task,” Sundell said.
Undrafted in 2024 after helping North Dakota State to three FCS national championships, Sundell first signed with the Cleveland Browns after the draft. But they had some concerns with his physical, so Seattle signed him before training camp. He ended up playing in 12 games in 2024, then earned the starting center job entering 2025. He missed four games this season due to a knee injury, but returned for Week 15 and resumed his starting position.
A leader on the field, the 26-year-old was “super honored” when Rainey asked him to be a chapel assistant, a role he had never heard of.
“I felt a weightiness to that calling, that that was part of my job to help point others to Christ,” he said.
Morris also called the special role an honor.
“What’s crazy is I actually prayed a prayer before the season and I was like, ‘Man, God I want to be a light in the locker room. I want to start speaking more. I want to be able to articulate more and grow closer to You,'” Morris told Sports Spectrum at Opening Night. “Pastor Rainey helped me with that with marriage counseling; I talk with him all the time about the questions that I have about the Bible because he can articulate it very well.
“It’s just helped me to grow as a man, grow as a person, and he made me a chapel assistant. I was like, ‘I don’t know if this is what I was talking about God,’ but I ran with it. Later in the season, I preached the chapel and man, it was just a blessing.”
The 24-year-old, who was a fifth-round pick by the Seahawks out of Michigan in 2023, gave a sermon about how God calls everyone to Himself, even those who don’t think they’re worthy. He used the example of Moses, who tried to deny God’s calling on his life, and Saul, who killed Christians.
“A lot of people in the locker room feel as though their lifestyle is too far from God, and that they could come to chapel and get the message, but [think,] ‘I’m going to go back and do my own thing because I feel so distant,'” Morris said. “… I just wanted to get the message across that there are so many broken people in the Bible and God has said so many beautiful things about them.”
Morris felt like the sermons from him and Sundell hit differently with their teammates because they all share similar goals and struggles. One reason Morris is strong in his faith, he believes, is because of the trials he’s endured, such as three hip surgeries and a shoulder surgery his rookie year. He said he was like many people who prayed to God primarily for their own benefit.
Yet, his trials “just helped me grow closer and have true reliance on God.”
Sundell came to rely on God through college teammates. Growing up, he had heard that he’d go to Heaven if he was a good person, but also had heard the Ten Commandments and knew he didn’t follow them. His “pesky” friends kept inviting him to Bible study, which he didn’t think was for him. But when COVID shut down sports in 2020, and took away the thing that made Sundell feel valued, he finally relented and went to Bible study.
“There was this disconnect of like, ‘How can I be a good person when this is what God’s telling you to do, and I know I can’t do that?’ Then we started reading, and the Bible told me that if I just place my faith in Christ that He would cover my sins, and that made way more sense than what I’ve been told,” Sundell told Sports Spectrum. “Without God’s intervention, I wouldn’t have been able to believe that, but thankfully the Lord saved me in that moment and used that logic to help get me there. So yeah, spectacular but but nothing dramatic. It was as simple as reading the Bible.”
Almost six years later, Sundell is that “pesky” teammate trying his best to get his new teammates to come to chapel.
Sundell, Morris and the Seahawks face the Patriots at 6:30 p.m. ET Sunday.
New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Garrett W. Ellwood)
After opening the 2025-26 season sidelined by a hamstring injury, Christian Gonzalez emerged as one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks. The New England Patriots defensive back put together a Pro Bowl season while helping lead his team to Super Bowl LX, all while living out his faith boldly on and off the field.
His faith is “everything,” and his focus this year has been to keep God first in everything, he told Sports Spectrum on Monday at Super Bowl LX Opening Night in San Jose.
“At the end of the day, we are more than football players,” he said. “He takes away that anxiety you feel to just go out there and play free and physical.”
Gonzalez earned his first Pro Bowl selection this season after starting all 14 regular-season games in which he appeared, totaling 69 tackles and 10 passes defensed while consistently matching up against opponents’ top receiving threats.
His impact has only grown in the postseason. Gonzalez has started all three playoff games, recording 15 total tackles, a sack, four pass breakups, a forced fumble and an interception that essentially sealed New England’s AFC Championship Game victory over the Denver Broncos. His presence has been a major factor in a Patriots defense that allowed the fourth-fewest points in the NFL during the regular season.
Through it all, Gonzalez said his focus this season has been keeping God first.
“It’s all God,” he said. “Nothing but thanks for God, and I’m thankful that He’s put me in this position. There’s nothing more I can thank than Him.”
Now in his third season after playing collegiately at Colorado and Oregon, Gonzalez’s Pro Bowl season comes on the heels of a sophomore campaign in which he was arguably even more productive. He started all 16 games in which he appeared last year, tallying 59 total tackles, 11 pass breakups, two interceptions and 63-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown, earning him second-team All-Pro honors.
As he’s grown in his role on the Patriots, the same can be said about his faith. He credits the Patriots’ spiritual community for helping him grow in his walk with God, including team chaplain James Mitchell and teammate TreVeyon Henderson. A good amount of players attend chapel together and hold each other accountable, he added.
Gonzalez often expresses his faith in subtle but meaningful ways on and off the field. One of his thigh pads has a cross on it, and on his eye black he regularly writes Psalm 16:8, which says: “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
“I just learned that verse this year,” Gonzalez told Sports Spectrum. “I think it’s an amazing verse, just keeping my eyes on the Lord amidst everything. To me, it kind of just helped me block out all the noise and not realize all that. Just keep my eyes on Him and trust in Him.”
"Keeping my eyes on the Lord, amidst everything."
Patriots cornerback @chrisgonzo28 shares why he writes Psalm 16:8 on his eye black and who has helped him to keep his eyes on the Lord. pic.twitter.com/f0HbtJ9N2p
Gonzalez and the Patriots face a formidable challenge as they hope to secure the franchise’s seventh Super Bowl championship. New England will square off against the NFC’s top seed, the Seattle Seahawks, who boast one of the league’s most explosive offenses. Seattle wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards during the regular season while adding 10 touchdowns, and the Seahawks averaged 28.4 points per game — third in the league, just behind the Patriots’ 28.8.
As Gonzalez prepares for his first Super Bowl appearance, the spotlight will be brighter than ever. But his perspective, he said, hasn’t changed.
“I’m playing for an audience of One,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of people out there, but you’re really just playing for One and it means everything to me.”
Patriots running backs TreVeyon Henderson (left) and Rhamondre Stevenson. (AP Photos)
SAN FRANCISCO — The year 2025 wasn’t the easiest for New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson. His father, Robert, died unexpectedly at the age of 54 in March. Then Stevenson fumbled three times in the team’s first five games, missed three weeks in November due to a toe injury, and didn’t manage a 100-yard rushing performance until the regular-season finale.
While Stevenson was out, rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson broke out. He scored five touchdowns in back-to-back weeks against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets, and then ended up leading the team in rushing yards (911 vs. Stevenson’s 603) and touchdowns (nine to seven) for the regular season.
But there’s no animosity from Stevenson toward Henderson, nor Henderson toward Stevenson, who’s taken the bulk of the carries in New England’s three postseason games (51 to Henderson’s 24), a big reason why the Patriots are in Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. In fact, both guys have leaned on each other for different reasons this season.
“I feel like Rhamondre has been through so much in this program. I’m so grateful to have him along my side,” Henderson said last month. “He’s been like a brother to me, teaching me the ropes.”
When speaking to the media Monday at Super Bowl LX Opening Night in San Jose, Stevenson opened up about the impact Henderson has had on him.
“My boy TreVeyon Henderson, he’s been getting me deeper and deeper into [faith],” he said when asked by Sports Spectrum about the role his faith in Christ has played for him this season. “I love that and I appreciate him for that. I’ve always been a faith-driven guy but he’s just put it on the forefront a little bit more. So I think it’s played a great role.”
Stevenson often mentions God and his father when he posts on social media. “AGTG” (all glory to God) and “RIP Pops” are included in just about every post. He also wears Robert’s ashes in a bracelet, which he only takes off for games and practices.
“I was having hardships this year and I would just go, pray to God for the good times, the bad times, and He always finds a way. His way is the best way and Jesus is love,” Stevenson said.
Stevenson’s and Henderson’s lockers are right next to each other in New England, allowing for the two young running backs to engage in numerous conversations throughout the season. Whether they’re about football or anything else in life, Henderson always aims to incorporate the Gospel.
“Something that I always try to remind guys is like, at the end of the day, football is just what we do,” Henderson said Monday night. “What truly matters is who we are in Jesus Christ. Sometimes in this game it’s not going to go our way; we hope the Super Bowl may go our way, but what if it doesn’t?
“So the biggest thing is we have to build our lives on the solid foundation. I truly believe the only solid foundation is what the Bible teaches in Jesus Christ. So when we do that, no matter what may come our way, we can still be standing strong in those moments and still come out with joy and peace in our hearts, even when our circumstances aren’t good.”
Henderson has intentionally sought to build his life on Christ, which was readily apparent before he joined the Patriots, but he’s taking advantage of the Super Bowl stage he’s on this week to continue to proclaim the Gospel. At various points during his media session Monday night, whether he was asked directly about his faith or not, Henderson spoke about Peter walking on water toward Jesus, the impact team chaplain James Mitchell has had on him, and how the theme of many team chapel services have centered on King Solomon.
“New England is known to be one of the least religious areas in the U.S., but in [our] facility, we have so many people who are filled with the Spirit that I believe God is using to draw people to Himself,” Henderson said.
One of those spiritual leaders is certainly Henderson, who helped spearhead a spiritual movement during his championship-winning days at Ohio State. But like Solomon in the Bible, Henderson knows that fame, money, status and the things of this world are ultimately worthless at the end of the day.
“I just think that should open our eyes to see that the only thing that can truly fulfill us is Jesus Christ,” Henderson said Monday. “It’s not the money, it’s not my accomplishments, it’s not anything else but only Jesus.”
And as he continued to answer questions from the media at Opening Night, he made it clear who he plays for.
“Before I met Christ, I was honestly just playing for my glory, playing and trying to exalt myself,” Henderson said. “When I came to know the Lord and He really started to work in my heart and change my desires, my thoughts and my intentions, He started showing me who I truly was in Him and showing me my true purpose in life. I started to realize that He didn’t give me all this to glorify and exalt myself. I’m not even worthy to be glorified or exalted — He is at the end of the day.
“He is Lord and He is the Savior of the world. He’s been so good to me and I’m so undeserving. So why not give my life to Him? Why not use my platforms to point people to the One who can save and who can transform?”
Henderson, Stevenson and the Patriots face Seattle at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, at 6:30 p.m. ET Sunday.
Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak (left) and head coach Mike Macdonald. (AP Photos)
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald thanked Sports Spectrum for asking him about his faith, and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak called it his favorite question of the evening Monday at Super Bowl LX Opening Night in San Jose.
With the big game drawing near and the buzz of football fanaticism approaching a crescendo, Macdonald and Kubiak dissected everything curious journalists could think to ask about their team’s matchup with the AFC’s New England Patriots on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Macdonald was busy navigating questions about reaching the Super Bowl in his second season, while Kubiak had to manage questions about his reported ties to the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coaching vacancy.
So, when they were given the opportunity to talk about the One who supersedes it all, Macdonald and Kubiak were eager to do so — relieved even.
“Your identity is not in your job; our identity is in Christ,” Kubiak said told Sports Spectrum. “When I learned that, and I spent more time in the Word from all the mentors I had in coaching that helped me get into Bible studies and read the Word every day, it took a really heavy load off just knowing that I’m a child of God.”
With dozens of reporters crowding his podium, Macdonald also revealed that he finds his rest in God.
“My faith has really grown over the last couple years. That’s what I lean on. That’s where your strength comes from,” the 38-year-old head coach said. “Recently I have so much gratitude, and then ultimately strength, that you feel like God has put you in a position to lead these people.
“[Faith is] your guiding light every day, so it’s something that I can hopefully continue to grow, and hopefully our players continue to seek it out — seek their faith and grow in their faith. It’s really special, and we got a lot of guys that are examples for me, too.”
“I have this gratitude and ultimately strength that God has put you in a position to lead these people.”
Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Mike McDonald shares how his faith in Christ has helped him lead his team to Super Bowl LX. pic.twitter.com/8FXoT5yYPA
Kubiak, who is 38 years old as well, provided one of the most galvanizing moments for the Seahawks during their impressive 14-3 regular season that ended with a No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. For a Christmas gift to the team, he bought Bibles for every Seattle player and coach.
“That’s the most important thing,” he told Sports Spectrum when asked why he made the gesture. “… You’re trying to find Christmas gifts for guys every year to show them that you love them, and what better gift than that?”
"This is my favorite question of the night … Our identity is in Christ."
Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak shared about his faith and gifting his entire team a Bible at Christmas pic.twitter.com/zt2ecn3d1s
Seattle assistant head coach Leslie Frazier said he was inspired by Kubiak’s generosity.
“You talking about touching people across our team? That is so unique and so rare,” the 66-year-old veteran NFL coach told Sports Spectrum. “It meant a lot. It meant a lot to everybody in our building, just that he would do that. His whole point of it was he wanted everybody to be able to find out what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the starting point, having a Bible. No one should walk away from this building without having a Bible.”
The former Minnesota Vikings head coach said he became a follower of Christ while in college, and he’s noticed that a common faith in Jesus has helped to bond this year’s Seahawks.
“Our chaplain, Jonathan Rainey, has done a terrific job of bringing our coaches together along with our players,” Frazier said. “With our Bible studies with our players, with our Bible studies with our coaches, and then we have chapel also. For us, that’s a special time because we don’t get a chance to go to church on Sunday. We’re playing, so you miss that.
“But that connection piece? That to me is what makes our team so special. There’s a bond there that goes beyond just being teammates, because there’s a love for one another that’s based on our faith. We have a ton of guys and coaches that love the Lord, and so you’re pulling for your brothers all the time … because they love each other.”
"He wanted everybody to be able to find out what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ."
Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier tells the story of how every Seahawks player and coach was gifted a Bible for Christmas pic.twitter.com/yxsSeDDRby
Frazier continued later: “You need other people to hold you accountable. You need someone to disciple you to help you grow in your faith, because life can be challenging, and you need to know where you turn when things get difficult. For me, that’s been Jesus Christ.”
With a unique bond centered on faith, the Seahawks are preparing for this year’s Super Bowl rematch to favor them this time (in February 2015, New England overcame a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Seattle, 28-24, in Super Bowl XLIX). Three of the past four Super Bowls have been decided by just three points, so if history holds, Sunday’s matchup could be another instant classic.
Kickoff between the Seahawks and Patriots is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
