Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud not only had one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history but also quickly became known as someone who loves Jesus and isn’t afraid to let others know.
The former Ohio State standout starts almost every post-game sideline report and post-game press conference by giving glory to Jesus.
So when NBC edited out Stroud’s comments praising Jesus after the Texans’ 45-14 playoff victory over the Cleveland Browns on Jan. 13, the result was a wave of criticism from prominent Christian leaders, such as Franklin Graham (president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse).
RELATED: Franklin Graham Is ‘Glad NBC Is Facing Some Backlash’ for Deleting CJ Stroud’s Praise to Jesus
As Graham praised Stroud for his bold faith, he expressed joy at the fact that NBC had received “backlash” for editing Stroud’s words in a social media post. The statement that NBC cut out was, “First and foremost, I just want to give all glory and praise to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
During an interview with Complex, which was published on Thursday (Feb. 1), Stroud was asked how he felt when he found out NBC had edited his words to remove any reference to his faith.
“I’m not angry about it,” Stroud said. “I wish that it wasn’t that but, you know, I pray for people and I think God has called us to love one another through thick and thin, mistakes or success.”
“I just want to show love. We’re not all perfect as people, even myself. I follow the Lord but I’m not perfect, and I try to just be that light in a dark time,” Stroud added.
RELATED: CJ Stroud Doesn’t Vocalize His Faith ‘To Look Cool’: It’s ‘What God Called Me To Do’
Stroud told Complex, “There’s a lot of darkness in this world. I think God has called us to really just be a light to one another and just show love.”
“I just pray for people and I don’t have any ill will or any anger to that. I wish that it wasn’t that, but, I’m just being myself always,” Stroud said.
Stroud concluded by sharing, “I grew up in the church and I found Christ in myself and I’m just trying to get better and I just want people to feel the love that I felt from God. So I don’t feel any ill will about it, it’s all love.”
