'Our purpose is bigger than just football': CJ Stroud responds to NBC Sports editing out his religious remarks



NFL quarterback C.J. Stroud has responded to questions surrounding NBC Sports editing his faith-based remarks following a playoff game victory. The sports network removed Stroud's comment where he praised God after a win against the Cleveland Brown, and posted an edited version of the interview to their social media channels.

"First and foremost, I just want to give all glory and praise to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ," Stroud said in the interview. That sentence was later cut in subsequent posts to focus on remarks about fan support and the city of Houston, Texas.

Following his team's elimination from the playoffs, Stroud spoke to Fox News to address the controversy surrounding the edit.

"I just really wanted to show love and show people what I stand for. I pray for everybody. I don't really have any feeling towards it, I just pray for everyone," the quarterback said.

Stroud generally took the high road when answering questions, and declined to point any fingers or address the issue head on. The 22 year old instead opted to signal to a higher purpose that was bigger than football.

"I feel like of course football is amazing but one day this sport will be done, this is our passion and our purpose is bigger than just football," he continued. "It's cool to see people use their platform to show their purpose, and the lord. I think we have a really good community of a lot of believers in the league; really around the sports world."

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

"The more we can do with our platform the better we can make this world and hopefully ... help people if they want the help to find Christ and really understand that God loves you no matter what," Stroud added.

Stroud is in the running for Offensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL, and was recently named an All Star and will play in the Pro Bowl.

The young star also received awards for both the city of Houston's Athlete of the Year and Newcomer of the Year at the Houston Sports Awards.

He became the fifth rookie quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 4,000 yards, and was also the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game. His playoff victory marked the first time a rookie had won in the post-season since 2009.

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NBC edits out Christian NFL quarterback CJ Stroud's faith proclamation delivered during interview after playoff victory



Sunday Night Football on NBC edited out Christian quarterback C.J. Stroud's faith proclamation in a video interview posted to X after his Houston Texans' Wild Card playoff victory over the weekend.

What are the details?

Here's how the interview went on the live broadcast, as Kathryn Tappen asked Stroud, "What does this moment mean?"

“First and foremost, I just want to give all glory and praise to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” the rookie signal caller replied.

He added: “I mean, it’s been amazing being in this city for as short [a time] 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 to be in the position that I am and blessed enough to be playing at a high level right now. And we’ve got to just keep it going. But I’m super blessed.”

At the end of the interview, which lasted less than a minute, Stroud told Tappen, “Thank you, God bless.”

— (@)

Now let's roll the tape of the interview as it appeared on the X post from Sunday Night Football on NBC. The clip runs with Tappen's preamble and then her key question, "What does this moment mean?

But does it continue — like the live broadcast — with Stroud's faith proclamation?

Nope. The NBC clip contains a clear edit, with the camera angle jumping to a closeup and leaving his shout-out to Jesus Christ on the cutting-room floor:

— (@)

How are folks reacting?

One might argue that the thrust of the clip posted to X has to do with Stroud's good vibes for Houston, as the post's caption reads that he "has a lot of love for his city." But not everyone is buying that, apparently.

Here are some of the comments underneath the Sunday Night Football on NBC's post:

  • "You thought people wouldn't notice that you edited out Stroud's statement of faith and gratitude, but we have the receipts," Citizen Free Press said.
  • Another commenter sarcastically wondered what were "the first words out of his mouth from the interview? Must’ve been a glitch."
  • "They censored this man's words," another user declared. "NBC sucks."
  • "You should have just not posted this clip at all," another commenter said. "To edit out his statement of faith in Jesus Christ just makes you look awful and even bigoted."
  • Another user dropped a big bomb, saying the SNF "edited" Stroud's faith proclamation — "but would love if he was promoting sex changes on kids."
  • "Why would you edit the video to not show the part of him thanking Jesus Christ!!! Sad, sad world we live in," another commenter wrote before adding a reference to Philippians 2:10. "Every knee shall bow."
  • "Shame on y’all," another user noted.
  • "Why cut out the part where he thanked God?" another commenter asked. "Maybe that’s why no one trusts mainstream media anymore…."
  • "I had to come look to see if it was true. Insane that you would edit the first words he said about Jesus," another user wrote. "Gross."

Anything else?

In the Texans' 45-14 rout of the favored Cleveland Browns, Stroud tied or set records for completion percentage (76.2%), passer rating (157.2), touchdown passes (3), and margin of victory (31) by a rookie quarterback in a playoff game, CBS Sports said.

In November, Blaze News drew a stark comparison between words from Stroud and words from women's soccer icon Megan Rapinoe delivered on the same weekend. Rapinoe complained that her "f***ed-up" injury — which forced her early exit from her final game ever — is "proof" that God doesn't exist. But Stroud once again proclaimed his faith in God after the Texans' last-second 30-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

(H/T: Western Journal)

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Houston Texans Chairman Cal McNair Apologizes for Anti-asian Slur

Houston Texans Chairman Cal McNair Apologizes for Anti-asian Slur

Steve Kim: The attempt to convict Cal McNair of a hate crime offends me far more than his alleged crime



On Tuesday, it was reported that the chairman of the Houston Texans, Cal McNair, had apologized for making anti-Asian remarks at a team function back in May.

What was his offense?

According to Bally Sports, the PC/woke crime police charged McNair with a felonious case of insensitivity. When he addressed a crowd at the River Oaks Country Club for the Houston Texans Foundation Charity Golf Classic, McNair uttered these words: "I'm sorry we couldn't get together last year, because of the China virus."

I'm shocked there wasn't an immediate riot. But maybe that's because McNair immediately started apologizing.

"I immediately apologized to people who approached me then and I apologize again now. I know how important it is to choose my words carefully. I would never want to offend anyone," McNair said in a statement to Bally Sports.

A few years ago, McNair's late father, Bob, ruffled a few feathers when he said that the league "can't have the inmates running the prison" during a meeting with fellow NFL owners as they discussed the issues of players demonstrations during the national anthem.

McNair, who passed away in 2018, actually botched the phrase. It's really "inmates running the asylum," a reference to the 1989 film "Dr. Caligari." What it really means is that you simply can't have the least capable individuals in charge of running an organization.

But back to his son's comments, for years various viruses were given names based on where they originated. From the Spanish flu (which is self-explanatory) and Zika virus (which originated from the Zika Valley in central Africa) to MERS (which stood for Middle East respiratory syndrome), many illnesses had monikers that were geographically based.

It's interesting, though, that before this pandemic officially became COVID, it was known as the Wuhan coronavirus. Don't believe me? All you had to do was turn on some of the same major media outlets that are so outraged by certain labels used by select individuals.

Right now, the Texans are having a miserable year. Currently they are dead last in the AFC South with a record of 1-6, and their relationship with Deshaun Watson is not destined for a … happy ending. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

The story on McNair is selective outrage, at best. An overreaching agenda at worst. This should be a non-story.

Several months ago the term "China virus" — or anything close to it — was blamed for the spike in so-called Asian hate. Asians were allegedly less safe in their communities. But the truth is crime spiked throughout the country on all races, colors, and creeds.

McNair's words might be ill-timed, but they certainly aren't as damaging as the narratives that are crafted from them.

I'm not Chinese, but I am Asian last I checked. I'm Korean. Am I offended by McNair's words? No.

But I do take offense at the attempts to turn this into something it's not.

Whitlock: Booing Fans at Chiefs Game Love Country More Than 'Foolish' Pro-BLM Players

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GO WOKE, GO BROKE: NFL sees double-digit ratings drop for season opener loaded with social justice activism



The NFL's season-opening game between the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans drew disappointing TV ratings fueling continued questions about whether increased political activism in sports is driving fans away.

Preliminary Nielsen ratings show that 16.4 million people tuned in to the Thursday night primetime game, which is a 16% decrease from the number of people who watched last season's opener between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears.

Ratings in professional sports have been down since returning from their coronavirus-related hiatus, despite people being more likely to be stuck at home and having been deprived of sports on TV for months. Some fans have expressed a dislike of overt social justice demonstrations that have taken over in football and basketball.

The NFL featured social justice messages in the end zones, a playing of the black national anthem before the game, and players locking arms before the game as social justice messages were broadcast on the scoreboard. And even those efforts were further politicized by the Texans, who stayed in the locker room while the national anthems were played as a protest against "empty gestures."

There weren't many fans at the game due to social distancing for COVID-19, but some of the fans in attendance booed players during a moment of silence before the game, apparently displeased with the social justice presentation.

The NBA playoff ratings during the first round were alarmingly low, down 27% from 2019 and 40% from 2018. The NBA's social justice displays have been even more ubiquitous than the NFL's. "Black Lives Matter" is painted on the court in large letters for every game, and players display social justice messages on the back of their jerseys while coaches sport "Racial Justice" badges on their shirts.

A recent Harris Poll found that politics has been a top reason people are turning away from the NBA:

A new Harris Poll backs Trump's critique of the NBA, with 39% of sports fans saying they are watching fewer games. And the chief reason why? Politics. The longtime polling agency surveyed nearly 2,000 people over the weekend and gave people ten options to choose from on why they are watching less basketball.

"The league has become too political" was the clear choice for the decline, with 38% of respondents. "Boring without fans" captured 28% of the vote while the NBA's association with China caused 19% of sports fans to turn the dial, another nod to a league Trump labeled a "political organization" last week after players boycotted games in response to a police officer shooting Jacob Blake seven times in the back in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The poll found that Republicans were more likely to be turned off by the league's politics that Democrats.

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Teenaged singing duo, Chloe x Halle, performed the national anthem to kick off the NFL on Thursday Night while wearing shirts displaying pictures of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Texans Leave Field, Chiefs Stand Arm-in-Arm for National Anthem, 'Black National Anthem'

The Houston Texans could not decide, as a team, how to handle the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner and the "Black National Anthem." Therefore, they decided as a team to remain in the locker room. The Chiefs, however, elected to stay and stood arm-in-arm during the playing of both songs.