Vikings QB Kirk Cousins to Receive 2023 Bart Starr Award for Inspiring Work On and Off the Field
By Movieguide® Contributor
Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Kirk Cousins will receive the 2023 Bart Starr Award at this year’s Super Bowl Breakfast before the big game.
The Bart Starr Award recognizes one NFL player who best demonstrates character, integrity and leadership on and off the field. Cousins will be honored for his commitment to being a positive role model for his family, teammates and community.
He frequently talks about his Christian faith, even displaying Proverbs 3:5-6 on his website: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
“I learned He’s decisive and the Holy Spirit is never confused,” Cousins said of his decision to let the Holy Spirit guide his life. “So if there’s disagreement, the problem is probably on our end, not on His. He’s always spoken to me through His peace.”
He continued, “I think at times where I fail as a leader is probably when I haven’t allowed the Holy Spirit to lead and when I do allow the Holy Spirit to handle it—I think that’s when I’m most successful as a leader.”
Cousins and his wife Julie launched the Julie & Kirk Cousins Foundation in 2018, which provides support for organizations like Bethany Christian Services, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Compassionate Heart Ministries, Discovery Church, Holland Christian Schools and International Justice Mission.
The football star has also spoken about his devotion to being a father.
“I was fortunate to have a dad who was very involved, very present, very wise,” Cousins shared. “Just about every experience we had through the years my dad would bring back to our faith walk and our faith journey. So it was pretty hard to go a day or a week and not go through something without scripture being accompanied to it so it would be a great thing if I parented close to the way my mom and dad raised me.”
He continued, “You know, the decisions you make are going to become the life that you live. What do you want those consequences to be? And so walking with God, obeying God, understanding what His word says, and applying it to your life became so important.”
The award ceremony will feature appearances from Peyton and Eli Manning, Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy and a tribute to Damar Hamlin and the Buffalo Bills.
The Bart Starr Award Special will air on CBS stations on Saturday, Feb. 18, and Sunday, Feb. 19.
Movieguide® previously reported on Cousins’ faith and how it influences his work on and off the football field:
The Minnesota Vikings are tied with the Philadelphia Eagles with the best record in the 2022 NFL season, 8-1.
The Vikings solidified themselves as one of the league’s top teams after defeating the Super-Bowl favorite Buffalo Bills 33-30 in an overtime victory.
The team has won seven straight games, led by veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins.
In the win against the Bills, Cousins passed for 357 yards, the most in the NFL in Week 10.
Cousins, 34, leads the team with modest stats and a humble heart, which comes from his faith in the Lord.
With only 14 touchdowns this season, the 11-year vet’s slow but steady pace could help the Vikings to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1977.
“It’s day-to-day, week-to-week, you’re only as good as your last play, your last game,” Cousins said of the team. “You certainly want to stack up the wins, and we’ve been able to do that for the most part. Being battle-tested is I guess what you take from [the close wins], because you know come January you’re gonna need that. Having had that is, I think, the silver lining.”
Cousins said that whatever may happen on the field, he always relies on strength and peace that comes from a relationship with God.
“Just like anybody else going through something, you remind yourself of those scriptures that kind of bring truth and bring a sense of calm to what you’re doing,” he said last year on the FAITH & GOAL Podcast. “… Certainly, my mind goes to my faith and trusting the Lord and just kind of believing that He’ll have a plan in whatever happens.”
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