NFL Star Matthew Slater Encourages Athletes to Keep Christ at the Center
By Movieguide® Contributor
While accepting an award at the 2024 K-Love Fan Awards, NFL legend Matthew Slater reminded athletes to keep their focus on Christ and find their identity in Him rather than in their sport.
“Stay true to the seeds that God has planted in your heart — they’re going to be tested, they’re going to be talked about,” Slater said. “Be true to who God made you to be. Stay authentic. Keep the main thing, the main thing.”
“One of the challenges that comes with being a professional athlete is identity,” he continued. “And I think for a lot of people, they like to place their identity in what they do, especially when the world is telling you how great you are and how much they enjoy the entertainment that football brings.”
“Remember, that your identity is in Christ, and He has you where you are so that you can continue to be an ambassador for Him in every arena that you’re in,” he added. “Stay rooted in who you are in Christ because that’s going to be ultimately what sustains you well beyond the game.”
This reminder is impressive coming from a football player of Slater’s caliber. As a special teams player, he spent 16 years in the NFL, earning 10 Pro Bowl selections, two All-Pro honors and winning three Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots. He was also voted the special team captain 13 times while on the team.
Throughout his career, he kept Christ as a focus, something he remained faithful to when he announced his retirement at the end of last season.
“As a player, God used the game of football to instruct, discipline, encourage, and develop me as a person,” Slater wrote in a farewell post last February. “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…This is Your story, and I am thankful You chose me to be a part of it.”
Following his retirement, Slater is now pouring all of his energy into his non-profit, the Slater Family Network Foundation, which provides for underprivileged families in the New England area.
Movieguide® previously reported on Slater:
Matthew Slater, a special teams player for the New England Patriots, just announced his retirement and thanked God for his time in the NFL.
He began his announcement with 2 Timothy 4:7, which reads, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
“As a player, God used the game of football to instruct, discipline, encourage, and develop me as a person,” he began. “In 2008, I came here as a young man with hopes and dreams. In 2024, I can retire knowing this experience has exceeded any hope or dream I ever had.”
Slater’s career was marked with success. During his 16 years in the NFL, he was a 10-time Pro Bowl player and served as a team captain for 13 years.
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