Professional Football And The BibleSample

“Virgil Green’s Bible-Themed Tattoo Bears Witness to Personal Faith”

Super Bowl 50 (February 7, 2016): Denver Broncos 24, Carolina Panthers 10

When Peyton Manning brought Denver back to the Super Bowl after an embarrassing loss to Seattle two years before, many reporters and pundits framed the matchup against the Carolina Panthers as a moment of redemption.

But for Broncos tight end Virgil Green, a trip to the big game in Santa Clara, California, had much greater significance. With the words “Faith” and “Psalm 91” written on his right wrist tape, he intended to give his best as a way of sharing his personal beliefs on the sports world’s biggest stage.

“All Glory to God!!!!” Green tweeted after his starting role in Denver’s AFC Championship Game against New England.

Super Bowl 50 turned out to be a mostly defensive affair. The Broncos defense smothered NFL MVP quarterback Cam Newton for six sacks and Malik Jackson scored one of the team’s two touchdowns on a fumble recovery in the end zone. Manning didn’t have a huge game with only 141 yards on 13 completions, but that turned out to be more than enough to help Denver secure the 24-10 victory.

While Green didn’t catch any passes in the game, he was an effective run blocker for C.J. Anderson and pass protector for Manning. A tattoo on his right arm featuring a portion of Psalm 121 bore witness to his belief that God was his provider.

“My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth,” (Psalm 121:2)

While playing college football at the University of Nevada, Green’s career nearly ended when a rare degenerative knee condition that required high-risk surgery. The possibility that he might never play football again was very real. But so was Green’s faith.

“It really helped mold my faith and show me that God is real,” he told Charisma. “The Lord means everything to me. I understand the platform that I’m on, and I never would have it to this point without Christ.”

Green also used his position as a professional football player to encourage young people to take a look at another one of his favorite Bible passages:

“Never be embarrassed of your faith,” Green told FCA Magazine. “People will try to make it seem like being a Christ follower is weird. Like Ephesians 6:10-18 says, ‘stand firm.’”