Former NFL Star Recalls ‘Amazing’ Baptism Experience

Published: February 27, 2025

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 13: Javien Elliott of Carolina Panthers looks on during the NFL game between Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 13, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

Former NFL Star Recalls ‘Amazing’ Baptism Experience

By Movieguide® Contributor

For Former Carolina Panthers cornerback Javien Elliott, getting baptized transformed his life.

“When I got baptized, that was probably one of the most amazing experiences that I’ve ever been through,” he told the “Sports Spectrum” podcst, “because I just felt super light, and I really felt like the old things have passed. Once I got baptized, I got out of the water. I remember seeing Antonio Cromartie and his wife went over and covered my head in the towel because it was cold that night too, and I was just crying. I was just crying, and it was just an experience that I’ll never forget.”

Elliott opened up about the temptations he dealt with before his baptism and how those possibly hindered him from fully walking in his faith.

“And when I look back on the sequence of events, I’m like, I didn’t know I was about to get baptized, but maybe the enemy knew,” the former NFL star continued, “and maybe that’s why that temptation was so hard, because I’ve been trying to walk straight in my purity. I’ve been trying to remain pure, and it’s like, once I got baptized, I’m not going to say that I haven’t faced temptations or anything like that, but I really feel like that was like a closed casket to the old me.”

Now, Elliott uses everything he has been through to tell others about Jesus.

“It was really never about me. It was always about, ‘Okay, how can I make an impact on a younger generation?'” he shared. “Back in my hometown, for example — I’m from Panama City, Florida — two guys have made it to the NFL in the last 20 years from there. So, now it’s just like, ‘Okay, how can I go back and pour into my community and give other people hope?’ Also, being able to share about how God has changed my life in a tremendous way.”

For more inspiring sports stories, check out Sports Spectrum.

He even wrote a book to inspire the next generation of underrated athletes.

Unconquered Walk-On: My Unlikely Path From Zero Scholarships to Florida State and the NFL is “a testament to the power of faith in God, resilience, and an unbreakable will to succeed. Javien’s story encourages anyone facing long odds to believe in what’s possible and to pursue their dreams relentlessly. Through his journey, he shows that with faith, grit, and perseverance, anything is achievable.”

“This journey wasn’t just about hard work and perseverance—it was about faith in God, resilience, and believing that anything is possible,” Elliott wrote on Facebook ahead of the book’s release last December. “I wrote this book to inspire athletes, dreamers, and anyone who’s ever been told ‘they aren’t good enough.'”