As the NFL season looms, rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson is already generating buzz for the New England Patriots. In his first preseason game, Henderson ran a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and he scored during both of the two preseason games in which he appeared.
Since he was drafted by the Patriots after a successful college career at Ohio State, fans and commentators have been hopeful for a big season. But Henderson is playing down the hype.
“I don’t really pay attention to all the social media stuff,” he recently told MassLive. “The biggest thing I know—people praise me now because I have this success. But I feel like it doesn’t come from true love.”
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“At the same time, people see me as a football player, so if things come crashing down, I know that love turns into hate,” Henderson continued. “The biggest thing is I keep my eyes on God and focus on what he sees in me…That’s what I keep my focus on.”
On social media, Henderson appears to be doing just that.
“Jesus Christ is Lord!” Henderson said in an X post alongside photos of himself running into the end zone. The post also included a reference to Philippians 2:9-11, which says:
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Such a post is not out of character for the 22-year-old Henderson, whose X profile reads: “Jesus Saved My Life | Follower of Jesus Christ | Running Back.” His profile also contains a header image that says, “I am nothing without God,” and Henderson often posts references to Scripture.
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At Ohio State, Henderson gained a reputation for boldly sharing his faith. Before his final college season, Henderson helped lead an on-campus worship event, during which 50 people were baptized.
