While MVP-contender Lamar Jackson has been busy leading the Baltimore Ravens to an 8-2 record and first place in the AFC North, God has been busy working in the heart of Jackson’s backup.
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Trace McSorley has had a front-row seat as Jackson has lit up the rest of the NFL. Recently, however, it was McSorley who took center stage and boldly declared his faith in Jesus Christ through baptism, assisted by Ravens chaplain Johnny Shelton and offensive tackle James Hurst. The sacrament was held in one of the Ravens’ training room recovery pools.
Shelton posted pictures of the powerful moment on Instagram:
“God is doing amazing things in the hearts of men,” Shelton’s post said in part.
Wide receiver Willie Snead and safety Jordan Richards were among a group of teammates and coaches there to witness the event. But by McSorley’s own admission, his baptism had been a long time coming.
“It was something I kind of wanted to do when I was in college and never did for whatever reason,” McSorley said on Baltimore’s team website. “(Shelton) brought it up and approached me about it. I knew the second time, I definitely wanted to do it.”
He continued later: “We’re a pretty religious, faithful family. But as a baby, I didn’t have a decision in it. Now it was my decision. I wanted to choose it for myself.”
McSorley’s faith is displayed for all to see in the form of a tattoo on his shoulder. It depicts a cross surrounded by a Spanish prayer and mentions of Psalm 23:4 and Philippians 4:13. He references Psalm 23:4 again in his Twitter bio, which says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
McSorley is in his first season with Baltimore after a stellar career at Penn State in which he was the starting quarterback for three seasons. In all, he completed 720 passes for 77 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. He also ran for 1,697 yards and 30 scores.
His production led the Ravens to select him in the sixth round of this past April’s NFL Draft, where he joined fellow quarterbacks Jackson and Robert Griffin III. He has yet to record a stat in a regular-season NFL game.
The Ravens will look to continue their six-game winning streak on Monday night in Los Angeles against the Rams.
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