Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts cited his favorite Bible verse after leading his team to the Super Bowl.
Hurts paraphrased John 13:7 in a post-game news conference Sunday after the Eagles vanquished the San Francisco 49ers in a blowout NFC championship victory.
The quarterback brought up the saying of Christ in response to a question about his early career — in which he’d slipped in the 2020 NFL draft. Hurts at one point admitted that he didn’t believe the Eagles even wanted to draft him.
“My favorite verse — You know, I went through a lot of stuff in college, and it kind of stuck with me,” Hurts explained.
“John 13:7. ‘You may not know now, but later you’ll understand.’”
“Hopefully people understand.”
Should more athletes speak publicly about their faith?
The Eagles dominated Sunday’s NFC Championship game, blowing out the 49ers 31-7 in a win that places Philadelphia in the Super Bowl for the second time in six years.
Hurts has pointed to the saying of Jesus on social media before — including when he was drafted by the Eagles.
Hurts previously shared the verse as a University of Alabama quarterback.
He later transferred to Oklahoma to finish his college career before entering the NFL draft.
The saying comes from a moment in the Gospel of John in which Christ washed His disciples’ feet — on the same evening as the Last Supper.
Hurts will compete against Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12. Mahomes is also a Christian.
The 2023 Super Bowl is the first in which two black quarterbacks will start for the opposing teams.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.