By Mallory Mattingly
No matter what happens on the field, Riley Leonard, the Indianapolis Colts’ rookie quarterback, knows his faith in Jesus keeps him secure.
“It’s hard to describe going out on the field with a Christian brother and knowing that, you know, if we play the worst game of our life, the worst game ever, we can hang our hat on the fact that we’re saved like we won,” Leonard said on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast. “Jesus won. We’re all good. I think a common misconception is to have that mindset and to be soft.
“But in Romans, it says, if you’re going to run a race, run to win. I think it’s a misconception — like Jesus was a savage, like He was an extreme competitor,” the quarterback continued. He would walk through the darkest valleys with the mindset of change and just a dog mentality, so to speak, in the football world. And I think that’s something that, you know, I try to — and a lot of the Christians in general — try to bring into the football field: go out there and lay it all on the line for Him.”
Related: Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard Praises ‘Jesus in the Lowest’ After CFP Loss
Because of his new position with the Colts, Leonard has had to re-establish connections since he’s in a new city and on a new team. He’s had to find his foundation in Christ in Bible studies and the church.
“One thing that’s kind of stood out to me throughout, you know, social media and things like that, are a lot of the times you guys will interview people, and we probably come off as people who are so established in our faith and better than everyone else, because we’ve had a faith for longer and we’re outspoken about it,” Leonard added on the podcast.
“Well, you know, I kind of have the mindset of, look, I’m only 23 years old now. I’m just now kind of getting my feet wet in faith and in Christ. And I’ve been a Christian for like, seven years now, but I still have so much room to grow,” he continued. “It’s kind of a double paradox, where I’m trying to spread the word to every single person I get into touch with but be humble enough to grow myself in my faith as well.”
“I’ve been trying to find a stable church and then a community as well,” he said. “We do Bible studies on Mondays and then the day before the game. We also have chapel. Both of those things have been really good for me and the team, but I’m really interested in growing my faith in more ways.”
Though he’s still growing in his faith, Leonard’s commitment inspired him during his college career at Notre Dame as well.
“The Lord has put me in this situation for a reason, and to be able to publicly display my faith is something I take a lot of pride in,” Leonard said on Jan. 18 ahead of the National Championship. “I don’t think I’m really deserving of this platform, but Jesus put me here, so I’m going to do everything I can to boast his name.”
Leonard may not be the starting quarterback for the Colts, but it’s clear that no matter where his career takes him, his mission to spread the gospel will never change.
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