Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was presented the Bart Starr Award at this year’s Super Bowl Breakfast, which took place the day before the big game.
The breakfast is hosted by Athletes in Action, the sports arm of Cru, and annually honors an NFL player “who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field, and in the community.”
Past awards winners include Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Eli Manning, Benjamin Watson, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Mike Singletary, Kurt Warner, Jason Witten, and LaDainian Tomlinson.
Fitzpatrick has been to the Pro Bowl four times and was the Steelers’ 2022 Most Valuable Player. Nevertheless, he is not just known for his success on the field but also for his work off the field through his faith-based Unshackled Foundation, which supports foster children. Fitzpatrick is also a member of the Steelers Social Justice Committee.
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While presenting Fitzpatrick the Bart Starr Award, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told the audience, “What a blessing and honor to be here, particularly because of that young man sitting before me. I am never surprised by God’s greater plan. I’m just always ready to receive it.”
“I’ve had the pleasure of being around this guy day-to-day since we acquired him in 2019 and he just continually displays that,” Tomlin added. “Oftentimes, he gets recognized for his extraordinary successes on the field and those talents, but those of us that know him, we appreciate those things. But we appreciate Minkah so much more.”
As Fitzpatrick approached the podium, the first thing he did was lead everyone in prayer, asking for God’s name to be glorified above all during the the Super Bowl:
Thank you, Father, for allowing us to gather today, under one roof and under your name, Lord. I just pray that as we’re in this city and people are coming in for the Super Bowl and coming in to watch these two teams battle that at the end of the day, that your name is the name is glorified. Football is a game that has brought us all together, that has brought us great memories and relationships, but you are the one that holds it all together, Lord. So I just pray that as we go about our days and the rest of our day in the city, that we just continue to be light in this in this dark place, in this dark world that we continue to be who you called us to be, Lord. We pray this in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
Fitzpatrick then thanked his coach for the kind introduction and shared that he was surprised when he found out that he was being presented the award.
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This past year, the 27-year-old missed several games due to injuries and said that he used that time to reflect and meditate on God. “As I was sitting at his feet and was just letting him work on me, work on my heart, he revealed a lot to me,” Fitzpatrick said.
