Russell Wilson Reacts to Aaron Rodgers' Jab at Christian Faith Talk
Russell Wilson is using recent comments made in jest about his faith and football by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers as another opportunity to glorify God.
Wilson, the 26-year-old Seattle Seahawks quarterback, has been outspoken about his belief that God determines the outcome of football games, while Rodgers has publicly disagreed.
After the Packers defeated the Seahawks two weekends ago, Rodgers quipped that God had favored his team.
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Last Thursday, Wilson responded to Rodgers' claims that "God was a Packers fan" by glorifying the Almighty.
"I think that in terms of that comment in all that, you know everybody has a right to their own opinion. I know for me, I'm just grateful that God has given me the opportunity to play the great game of football, I'm so grateful," Wilson told reporters, according to NBC Sports.
"I know one of the things that my parents always taught me is just continue to reign humble in your victories and your losses, and I think that's just the thing that I'm grateful for, just to be able to play the game of football, and I love it. So like I said, everybody [is entitled] to their own opinion."
Although Rodgers and Wilson are both Christians, they first found themselves on opposing sides of the faith and football debate last January. After the Seahawks beat the Packers in the NFC Championship game, Wilson suggested God was behind the victory.
Rodgers, however, argued that God doesn't determine wins and losses in professional sports.
"I don't think God cares a whole lot about the outcome," Rodgers previously said during an interview on ESPN radio. "He cares about the people involved, but I don't think he's a big football fan."
But during an interview with ESPN, Wilson asserted that "God cares about football. I think God cares about everything He created."
In an interview with Pastor Miles McPherson at The Rock Church in San Diego, California in July, Wilson revealed that God spoke to him during Super Bowl XLIX. During the big game he threw an interception instead of passing to running back Marshawn Lynch — a move that cost his Seahawks a second-straight championship ring.
"The play happens, and they pick the ball off. And I take three steps," Wilson told McPherson. "And on the third step, God says to me, 'I'm using you. ... I want to see how you respond. But most importantly I want them to see how you respond.'"
Before becoming a big name in the NFL, Wilson began to strengthen his relationship with God at the age of 14. In a 2013 documentary titled "The Making of a Champion," the football star revealed how Jesus appeared to him in a dream to warn him of his father's impending death.
"I had a dream that my dad passed away and that Jesus came into the room and he was basically knocking on my door, saying, 'Hey, you need to find out more about me,'" Wilson said in the documentary. "So that Sunday morning I ended up going to church and that's when I got saved."
