The NFL playoffs are almost over.
The winners of the conference championships will face off in Super Bowl LVII.
And Franklin Graham is rooting for one NFL quarterback to win for this reason.
Franklin Graham, son of famed pastor Billy Graham, said he will be rooting for the San Francisco 49ers to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game.
Graham said, “I haven’t rooted for the 49ers since Joe Montana, but I’m sure pulling for them now!”
Graham is pulling for the 49ers because quarterback Brock Purdy has been open about his faith in God.
Purdy’s season has played out like a schmaltzy Disney film.
Purdy, a rookie out of Iowa State, was this season’s “Mr. Irrelevant,” the nickname given to the last pick in the NFL draft.
Most Mr. Irrelevants fail to make a roster, let alone make an actual impact.
Purdy began the year as the third-string quarterback, but after injuries to starter Trey Lance and backup Jimmy Garropolo, Purdy was thrust into starting action early in the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins.
Since then, the 49ers are 8-0, and the offense has never looked better under head coach and offensive play caller Kyle Shanahan, who led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance three seasons ago.
After one of Purdy’s great offensive showings, the media asked Purdy how he stays grounded, and he replied, “I’m a faith-based guy, so that’s how I stay grounded. I don’t look at football like it’s literally everything. It’s do or die or anything like that. It’s a game and it’s my job for sure and I take it very seriously, but at the end of the day, I know that I’m not defined by the wins or losses as a person.”
During a rough stretch at Iowa State, Purdy said in an August 2021 interview, “It was just a great reminder of where my identity is, where it lies . . . And it’s in Jesus. And I continue to lean on Him. Again, the next day I didn’t go out and throw for 500 yards and was this awesome quarterback, but it was just this peace that I had with Him knowing that, ‘Hey, no matter what I’m going to face moving forward during college football, God and Jesus are going to be my identity. And whatever I face, I won’t be shaken from it.’ I’ve got a great foundation in Him.”
Rarely do professional athletes so openly espouse their Christian faith because the culture has become so secular.
Graham added on social media, “In addition to being a super talented football player, I love the fact that Brock Purdy is so open about his faith in Jesus Christ.”
Purdy’s Disney movie gets to continue for at least one more game today.
And if the 49ers can get past the Eagles on the road, Purdy will get to play the Super Bowl in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona.
Hollywood couldn’t make this stuff up.
Stay tuned to Right News Wire for any updates to this ongoing story.
