By Mallory Mattingly
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy opened up about some of the identity issues he struggles with and how he uses scripture to combat those thoughts.
“It’s a 24/7 thing with me, man, with identity. It’s funny. I can be on podcasts and telling my teammates about Jesus and about identity, and then I’ll be driving and all these thoughts come in my head, and the enemy is trying to get me,” Purdy told Sports Spectrum’s Matt Forte. “And so I’m like 24/7 always trying to find great verses about identity and who I am in Christ.”
This year, he comitted to living out Galatians 2:20, which reads,”I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
“And so that was like the verse this year for me. Like, no matter what the outcome is, it was a crazy year with how our team did, what we went through and what I went through personally, but I wanted to stay anchored and rooted in his promises,” the quarterback explained. “And that’s what he’s promised us.”
“Like, I’ve given my life to Jesus, my old life — my passions, desires of wanting this or that, especially in the football world, as a quarterback and thinking about the future — that’s been crucified with Christ,” Purdy continued. “What He did for me and with me on the cross, now I have this freedom to go and live changed and free through Jesus.”
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Purdy was known for being “overlooked” for much of his earlier football career.
“My whole story has been just being overlooked, not good enough,” he told 49ers WebZone. “And for me, deep down inside, I’m like, ‘I know I can play and compete at this level, this level, this level.’ And so, high school, it was the case. And then I became a starter, and we went to the state championship, all that. But I got recruited very late.”
“And then all of a sudden I barely get an offer at the end, and I go to Iowa State. And then I was the third-string guy going into that — overlooked,” he continued. “And then I became the starter halfway through that season and then for four more years.”
“And then I got drafted last. So, all these people tell me that you’re not going to be good enough, but deep down inside, this whole time, I’m like, just wait until I get an opportunity to compete,” Purdy added.
That he did. In his first season with the 49ers, Purdy led his team to the NFC Championship game. The year after that, he took the 49ers to the Super Bowl.
Related: 49ers QB Brock Purdy’s Purpose: Be ‘Who God Has Called Me to Be’
For Purdy, it’s all about keeping the faith.
“Won together and lost together. Did it with my boys. Keep the Faith,” Purdy wrote in a post on his Instagram page following the end of last season.
Despite his underdog journey to the NFL, Purdy is among one of the top NFL quarterbacks. Throughout his career, he aims to lead his team not just on the field but off of it as well. His faith in Christ gives him with the boldness to tell others about the Good News and to be a great teammate, friend and husband.
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