Falcons Punter Uses Platform to Share God’s Word: ‘Give Back Any Way Possible’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Atlanta Falcons punter Bradley Pinion uses his skills and resources off the field to share God’s word with others.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Pinion said, “I firmly believe that God put me in this position to help people and to use this platform to share His light and to share His word.”
In his new initiative, “Punts for Purpose,” with Compassion International, anytime he lands a punt within the 20-yard line, $1,000 will be donated to charity by Punts for Purpose.
Pinion described the initiative on his Instagram: “Faith: a belief in something greater than yourself. Purpose: a mental goal or aim that directs a person’s actions or behavior.”
The program is inspired by Hebrews 11:1-3, which reads, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”
“We’ve been blessed beyond belief,” Pinion told the Atlanta Falcons. “We’re just trying to give back any way possible.”
So far, Pinion has raised over $20,000 this season. Twelve other NFL punters have joined his efforts.
Since launching his initiative, Pinion has been nominated for the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year.
“It’s a huge honor, and I’m very humbled to be selected. Something that you don’t take lightly,” Pinion said.
“And it’s one of those things that you just – I’ve said it a few times already, but you don’t set out to win,” he added. “You just kind of set out to use the platform that God’s given you to the best way possible and this is a byproduct of it. It’s one of those – I’d call it kind of the best award in football, honestly, because it’s not always about the play on the field, but what you use your platform for. And this kind of embodies that. So, it’s a huge honor. And I’m just proud to represent the Falcons as a nominee this year.”
He explained that he learned of the nomination when he and his wife were on a trip to Tanzania.
“That made me cry. It was super cool,” he said of the video. “Those were the two kids that we actually sponsor through Compassion in Tanzania. And just to kind of see them on there and for them to say ‘Asante Sana,’ which means thank you very much and Swahili, it was really, really cool to just to hear them and see them because I hadn’t been able to see them since March when we went.”
“It was just awesome, something I’ll cherish forever. A video I probably watched again and again until the day I die,” he added.
Movieguide® previously reported on Pinion:
After the NFL season comes to a close, Kaeleigh said that her and Bradley plan to travel to Tanzania.
“We’ve been telling all of our friends about this specific center in Tanzania and trying to get as many kids sponsored as possible,” Kaeleigh said, “We just want to have the problem where the center is too full and we need to help raise money to get another one on the ground.”
Bradley often shares his faith on social media, quoting long passages from scripture. In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Bradley pointed people to true hope and peace in Chrst.
“Whether something would go bad or something would go good, it’s been very constant, just very peaceful,” Pinion told Sports Spectrum in an interview from Jan. 2021. “With all the outside distractions, and there’s been a lot of them this year, just having that faith to fall back on is huge. Because if you don’t have that faith — and things can go haywire because you kind of lose yourself, you lose your self-awareness — you can be out of touch with God.”
“It’s one of those things where as long as you stay in touch with God, He’s going to take care of the rest. And that’s really just what I focused on, spending that extra time in the Bible every single day,” he added.
