San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey had a breakout performance during his team’s Monday night win against the Carolina Panthers. But glorifying himself appears to have been the furthest thing from his mind.
During a post-game interview, ESPN’s Lisa Salters asked McCaffrey about his impressive stats from the game and how he was “able to continue to carry the load” for his team. The running back put up a combined 142 rushing and receiving yards and a touchdown to help lead the 49ers to a 20-9 victory.
Before anything else, McCaffrey gave “[a]ll glory to God,” whom he praised for giving him the opportunity to excel on the field.
“Every time I’m able to step on this field, I look at it as a major blessing, and [I’m] just thankful to Him for allowing me to come out here and keep playing,” McCaffrey said. “That was a great win. We gotta take ’em as they are, but I know we’re hungry for more and I know we can be better.”
The moment was hardly the first in which McCaffrey — an outspoken Christian — has publicly espoused his faith.
Ahead of the 49ers’ 2024 Super Bowl matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, for instance, the Stanford University alum said his Christian faith “means everything to” him and described it as “the most important thing in [his] life.”
“I think my faith has gotten me where I am in life, and through all the ups and downs, when I rely on God … Anytime I’m having a tough day or having a bad time in my life, I just get back to getting into the Word, and it’s got all the answers,” McCaffrey told Sports Spectrum. “So it’s the most important thing in my life, and it’s something that I know I’ll always have to lean back on and to make a priority.”
McCaffrey’s willingness to publicly praise God and His glory is a trait shared with his fellow teammate and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Much like McCaffrey, Purdy is an outspoken Christian and has regularly used his platform to spread God’s Word when given the opportunity.
Even before being drafted into the NFL, when answering a question about what God was teaching him, the then-Iowa State quarterback told Sports Spectrum in 2021, “[R]ight now I’m all about … living set apart from the world. People can think this about me or whatever … The bottom line for me is my identity is in Jesus.”
“It’s not, ‘Hey I’m better than you.’ No. It’s: I’m called to do this, I’m called to witness, I’m called to share the Word. I have this knowledge of the Spirit, and I want to give it to as many people as I can,” he added.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
