Devout Christian NFL Player Makes a Tweak to His Uniform To Honor Israel
It would be hard to blame a Christian or conservative NFL fan for losing faith in the league occasionally.
Even removing all political elements, it’s hard to go a day without seeing a story about the disturbing deeds of players like Jameis Winston and Reuben Foster, who get second and third chances but never learn. It’s beyond maddening.
However, it’s important to not let a few select degenerates obfuscate the fact that there are, in fact, quite a number of good people in the NFL. Alas, good guys just don’t make for splashy headlines.
NFL superstars like Drew Brees and J.J. Watt are outstanding players as well as genuinely kind human beings who do incredible good in a myriad of ways.
Now, it seems, Baltimore defensive tackle Michael Pierce can be added to that list of NFL players having a positive impact off the football field as well.
Pierce, who just turned 26 on Nov. 6, is an undrafted free agent for the Ravens. The 6-foot, 340-pound run stopper out of Samford has been a solid contributor on defense but is one of the more unheralded defensive players in the NFL. A quick Google search or a glance at his Wikipedia page shows that he’s still a relative unknown.
That needs to change, and hopefully it will after the way in which Pierce is choosing to honor Israel.
Every year, the NFL allows its players to highlight a cause of their choice through its “My Cleats, My Cause” initiative. Many players will wear cleats bringing awareness to various causes, including pediatric cancer awareness, military appreciation, anti-bullying and ALS awareness.
Pierce is using his cleats to honor Israel.
The blue cleats will have the Israeli flag on them as well as “IC” on the back, which stands for “Israel Collective.”
The Israel Collective, a group that helps foster a stronger and more positive relationship between American Christians and Israel, helped Pierce visit the country.
Of note, Pierce is a devout Christian. The first line of his Twitter bio reads “Psalm 28: 7-8.” (“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.”)
Pierce, citing a “oneness and connectedness” when he visited an Israel, said, “After growing up reading the Bible, to learn exactly where Jesus walked was awesome.”
“To go over there and see the difference and to see just exactly how the culture is,” he said. “I went to Shabbat dinner, I just enjoyed the company and learned so many different customs and things that they do that I’ve just never been aware of, how warm people are.”
Pierce also stressed how much of an impact Israel Collective had on him.
“Israel Collective has been a life-changing thing for me,” he said. “Having the Israel flag in front and center was paramount for me — I needed that to be right where it is.”
Pierce also emphasized how much he wanted others to follow in his footsteps and have a powerful experience in Israel.
“I hope that people will read about (this) and then maybe go over there — if they’re able to, of course — and to be able to see exactly what’s going on,” he said.
Considering the Ravens are in the thick of the NFL playoff race, the massive nose tackle knows a lot about winning on the football field.
Thanks to Israel Collective, Pierce now also knows about winning off the field. And it’s awesome that he’s choosing to reflect that for “My Cleats, My Cause.”
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