NFL legend Matthew Slater recently shared some words of encouragement while accepting an award at the 2024 K-Love Fan Awards. The three-time Super Bowl champion and 10-time Pro Bowler with the New England Patriots received the Sport Impact award, which recognizes a coach or athlete who has stayed true to their faith. While accepting his award, Slater shared his advice to any young Christian athletes that may be watching. “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,” he 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. 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, 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. “Stay rooted in who you are in Christ,” he added. “Because that’s going to be ultimately what sustains you well beyond the game.”

Slater, who currently works as an advisor to the Patriots and is considered to be one of the best special teams players in NFL history, said that receiving the K-Love Sports Impact award makes him a bit uncomfortable. “I don’t want the focus to be on the story. I want it to be on the Author,” he said. “I hope that the people that have been around me understand that none of the credit should go to me. My journey has been a very unique one. And there’s no way of explaining it without saying that it’s all due to the goodness and mercy of Jesus.”