By Mallory Mattingly
Former New England Patriots wide receiver Matthew Slater shared how trusting God impacts his identity and life.
“He’s the only thing that I can fully trust 100% in this lifetime,” Slater said on the “Sports Spectrum” podcast. “And because of that, I will always place my identity in Him first.
“Then you think about the flip side of that, with football being an example of how fleeting it is,” the three-time Super Bowl champion continued, “we spent most of our lives playing football, but now it’s over. Are we going to stop existing because we don’t play football? No, not at all. And I think about the impact, okay, God has had this impact, or the impact football has now, it has zero impact. It has zero impact on my life.”
“So for me to think that I won three Super Bowls, that doesn’t affect the way I live day-to-day. I went to pro bowl. That doesn’t affect the way I live my life day-to-day. None of those things have any bearing on my day-to-day existence as a human in this life. The only thing that impacts that is God and His nature and His saving grace.”
Slater is in a transition period right now, a season he doesn’t want to waste.
“The one thing I keep coming back to, the only thing that’s consistently good, the only thing that’s never going to let me down, the only thing whose track record is unblemished in my life, in the lives of many people around me, is the goodness and grace of God and His character,” Slater declared.
Slater decided to step away from football in 2024. When he did, he released a statement that began with 2 Timothy 4:7, which reads, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
“For the last 25 years of my life, 16 of them as a New England Patriot, I have been incredibly blessed to be able to emulate the man I saw on those fields in Meridian by playing the game that I love so much,” the wide receiver wrote in a statement. “I have given all that I possibly can to respect and honor the game. Though it is time for my relationship with the game to evolve, the love I have for it will last a lifetime.
“As a player, God used the game of football to instruct, discipline, encourage, and develop me as a person,” he added.
Slater concluded his message with a statement of faith and a prayer, thanking God for his 25 years in the NFL.
“Many of you know me to be a man of faith. I truly believe without the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus, I would not be writing this. Lord, thank You for making a way when there seemed to be none. Thank You for preserving my body and my mind throughout the years. Thank You for all the wonderful people you sent into my life. Thank You for Your grace and mercy in my life. This is Your story, and I am thankful You chose me to be a part of it. I love You,” he concluded.
Slater trusted God throughout his 25 years in the NFL, and after nearly a year and a half of retirement, he understands that only God will ever truly satisfy.
Read Next: Patriots’ Matthew Slater Retires: ‘God Used the Game of Football’
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