Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was happy after leading his team to a win over the Cleveland Browns, 45-14, behind 274 passing yards and three touchdown passes. He came off the field and talked to NBC’s Kathryn Tappen, praising Jesus before discussing his team’s performance.

Before talking about the city of Houston and the support he’s received from Texans fans in less than a year of being their quarterback, he said, “First and foremost, I just want to give all glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. However, the moment was overshadowed during the week as NBC seemed to edit out that part of his words in the video posted on X. The “Sunday Night Football on NBC” X account posted the video of Stroud and Tappen, but it started with Stroud praising the city.

He says in the “Sunday Night Football” clip, “I mean, it’s been amazing being in this city for as short as I’ve been, but the love that I’ve got. I’ve really just been doing it for Houston, man. People back home, I’m blessed enough to be in this position I am. Blessed enough to be playing at a high level right now. And we gotta just keep it going, but I’m super blessed.” The organization posted, “CJ Stroud has a lot of love for his city,” along with the video.

NBC faced backlash online over the post. Citizen Free Press wrote on X, “NBC edited out Houston QB CJ Stroud’s praise of Jesus Christ in their post-game interview posted to X. Why did @SNFonNBC remove Stroud saying ‘First and foremost, I just want to give all glory and praise to my Lord, Jesus Christ.’ It’s disconcerting to realize NBC is actively censoring a player praising Jesus after a massive win. Would NBC have censored his speech if he praised transgenders or Palestinians?”

NBC edited out Houston QB CJ Stroud’s praise of Jesus Christ in their post-game interview posted to X.

Why did @SNFonNBC remove Stroud saying “First and foremost, I just want to give all glory and praise to my Lord, Jesus Christ.” https://t.co/gmmmn2HeFT pic.twitter.com/H2R7qzVGGO

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) January 17, 2024

Former NFL quarterback and fellow Christian Donovan McNabb took his shots at the network while defending Stroud. “It’s very lame,” McNabb said on his OutKick podcast, “The Five Spot.” He added, “Players always express that as well, and to have that cut out is truly, it’s disrespectful. There are a lot of people out there who are Christians and believe in Jesus, and those who don’t believe in Jesus still they don’t feel like that’s disrespectful to them.”

McNabb continued, “To cut it out and be a media outlet that’s focusing on the game interviewing these players, the fans want to feel as one with the player. And when they hear a player talk, they break down everything that young man says — and young woman. I just think NBC stuck their foot in a hole at this particular point. They gotta get themselves out.” McNabb noted that players want to express themselves freely to better connect with fans.

He said, “You’re a media outlet that’s supposed to express and show and display what these young men are all about. This is their opportunity and their platform to be able to step on stage and tell people and show people what type of individual they are, and C.J. Stroud is doing that. That’s why you hear a lot of athletes say, ‘I can use my platform to reach out to millions of people.’ Stroud is open about his faith. In November, while Stroud was in the midst of the MVP conversation, he turned his attention to God.

Stroud explained, “For me, it’s a lot of prayer. A lot of knowing that God wouldn’t put anything on me that I can’t handle. I don’t deserve His grace and His mercy, but He still gives it to me, and I love Him for that. It’s not about me; it’s about Him and His glory. So I think that’s where it comes from. I think God made me like that.”