NFL Says Trey Hendrickson 'Took A Moment' For Trevor Lawrence When He Was Actually Praying
The NFL's reluctance to acknowledge faith and people of faith, or attempts to replace their effect on the league, is on display again.
The latest example of this came Tuesday when the people running the league's X account highlighted the moment Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson saw Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence unable to remain on his feet after suffering an ankle injury.
Hendrickson immediately got on one knee and began to pray for Lawrence.
Except the NFL didn't describe what was obvious to everyone that way.
Trey Hendrickson Was Praying Not Taking A Moment
The league said Hendrickson "took a moment for Trevor."
Took a moment?
Hendrickson, a Christian, was praying for Lawrence. He tried to help the Jaguars' quarterback to his feet and seeing Lawrence couldn't walk, Hendrickson tried prayer. It was a show of great sportsmanship. It was a moment that spoke to Hendrickson's character and beliefs.
And the NFL missed the mark by not accurately calling it what it was.
The interesting thing is many other people who reacted to Hendrickson's act didn't miss it.
They know he was praying.
Reasons Correcting NFL Failure Matters
Many people responding to the tweet (or whatever X calls it now) in the mentions took the NFL to task for not calling Hendrickson's act a prayer. They know Hendrickson didn't turn to a random moment of silence, as secular folks within the league would have you believe.
It was, agree with it or not, Hendrickson doing what he believed he could to help Lawrence be well.
And, of course, the natural reaction among some people who do not believe in prayer or view prayer as unworthy of acceptance would be something akin to "What's the big deal?"
"Let it go."
The problem with that is people of prayer and faith have been letting it go for decades. As a result, stuff has happened they don't like.
For example, school prayer has been baned while those same schools hold drag shows.
And while the establishment clause of the Constitution clearly forbids the establishment of a state-run church, prayerful people long ago silently watched the principle hijacked to mean the founders wanted freedom from religion rather than freedom of religion.
Players of both teams kneel and pray after the NFL between the Patriots and Colts. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
Players Such As Hendrickson Often Pray Openly
But many of the faithful are now starting to open their eyes. They're realizing their faith and acknowledgement of God is being either attacked or dismissed.
This, by the way, is not a debate. The idea some want to put people of faith -- Christians, Muslims, Jews, others -- away in a closet is not new.
Paris Saint-Germain, a Qatari owned soccer team, actually added a clause in star Neymar's contract that pays him €541,680 per month if he avoids any "religious propaganda that could damage the image and unity of the club," per a report by El Mundo.
Neymar had apparently made too many references to his Christian faith to fit the club's liking.
The issue hasn't yet reached American sports to that degree. It's not an NFL club issue at this stage.
Damone Clark of the Dallas Cowboys prays prior to an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers. (Kara Durrette/Getty Images)
Is NFL Against Faith Or Prayer?
But the NFL, as a league operated out of New York, is increasingly suggesting it doesn't like mentions of faith.
You'll recall that on Thanksgiving week, NFL office employees changed a decades-old core tenet about the game. Multiple times during a call with reporters, NFL people talked about Thanksgiving being about "food, family and football" or "friends, food, family, and most importantly football."
These people either forgot or avoided the fact the phrasing has for decades been, "Faith, family and football." They declined to answer OutKick questions about the topic.
Engraving depicting General George Washington kneeling in prayer, while his soldiers camp in the background, at Valley Forge. (Photo by Interim Archives/Getty Images)
Thanksgiving Acknowledged God But NFL Didn't
The omission was jarring on Thanksgiving Week considering president George Washington's proclamation establishing the day made clear its purpose is showing thanks to God. That proclamation begins:
"Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor -- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness ...
"Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be ..."
All this taken together is the makings of a pattern by the NFL.
It shows either the league has a terrific blind spot about faith that has shown multiple times in recent weeks ...
... Or the NFL has some sort of intentional distaste for mentioning faith, worship, and perhaps Christianity within its sport.
This, while a very large percentage of NFL players such as Hendrickson, coaches, and front office types profess a deep religious faith, is quite odd.
Follow on X: @ArmandoSalguero