The manner in which most college football players mention God has changed. Other than the rare exception like Tim Tebow, it seems most of the time you hear about God after a player has gotten into trouble. After the recent scandals at Ohio State, quarterback and perpetual loud mouth Terrelle Pryor tweeted this:
"THE Ohio State Buckeyes face and overcome any adversity that comes our way! Brings us closer together As a team. And brings us closer 2 GOD."
The problem with this tweet is that this whole scandal was caused by the actions of Terrelle Pryor and some of his team mates. Yet there is no remorse for causing the problems, the adversity didn't come find you Terrelle, you found it. Pryor broke the rules, and no matter what he says, he knew he was breaking them. Then Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressell lied and covered for Pryor and the other players involved. You may be able to over come any adversity with God's help, but he does require that you atone and ask forgivingness. These kinds of smug comments are simply using God as an excuse. Pryor is justifying what he did, because it brought the Buckeyes closer to God. It's great if that truly happens, but it doesn't make your actions go away.
Using God as an excuse isn't limited to the Buckeyes. Cam Newton was asked continually about his scandals at Florida and his father's actions this past season. When confronted with these issues Newton usually says that he is focusing on God and the future, not the past. Focusing on the future is good, no one should live in the past, but once again it shows a lack of accountability for ones actions. If you aren't going to take responsibility and be honest and open about your past then your line about God is insincere at best, offensive at worst.
Cam is also famous for his "God be blessing, the Devil be messing" quote. Again, this shows a lack of accountability for ones actions. The "Devil" Cam is referring to are all the folks commenting about the scandals surrounding him, yet all those scandals were created by Cam and his father's choices. The Devil may play some part, on some level, but Cam did this to himself. This passing the responsibility off to God is getting to be a rampant problem.
Cam wasn't done talking about God yet, after the National Championship Game Newton said:
"I am just his instrument he is using me on a consistent basis daily. I am an example of how God can turn something that was bad into something that was very great."
It's great that Cam says that he is Gods instrument and wonderful if he really has turned his life around with the help of God. It's ridiculous that in the same breath he calls himself "very great." Using a comment on God to give yourself a compliment is about as low as it can get. Being an example of what God can do is about the way you live your life, not the way you win football games. Cam would do much better to show that he has changed as a person, something that will take more than one semester full of scandal. It may be that that is a much harder goal to achieve than a national championship.
Players aren't the only ones who like to throw around God's name. Auburn Coach Gene Chizik said after the close Clemson game that it was "a God thing." that Auburn won. We really don't think that God cares which team wins a football game, we are sure that God probably has bigger problems to worry over. If you are talking about a Christian God, as Chizik was, wouldn't God love both sides equally? Perhaps if it had been a tie we could have believed it was a God thing.
Not every kid and coach in college football is using God for their own benefit though. The best example of this would of course be Tim Tebow. Tebow spoke about God often, but in a very diffrent way than Newton or Pryor. Tebow was thanking God for everything God had done for him, and giving all glory for a win to God who gave him his talents. This is vastly different from saying God is on your side, or that you are an example of what God can do. This is sharing a love of God in a way that glorifies God , not the individual. When Tebow spoke about God you knew he meant it, you were left with a good impression, not a questioning one.
We know that this is a sensitive subject, and we know that our views on this will probably upset some people. The point we are trying to make is simple: if you are going to use the name of God you should be using it for God , not for yourself.
My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. - Psalms 131:1
He said to them, You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight. - Luke 16:15
Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. - Psalms 57:5
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