Two high-profile athletes have gone public with their baptism stories.
Rookie sensation Travis Hunter of the Jacksonville Jaguars was baptized at Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Fla., before this team played later that day. The wide receiver and defensive cornerback said getting baptized wasn’t a spontaneous or emotional decision but was a long time coming.
“It’s Sunday. It’s God’s day. I’ve been planning to go get baptized for a minute,” Hunter told ESPN. “I changed my life over to become a better man. It means a lot. I’m becoming a better man and leaving my old self and starting a new chapter.”
The 22-year-old has had faith mentors throughout the course of his career, including Deion Sanders, who coached him while he was at Jackson State University and the University of Colorado. Although the Jaguars lost to the Seattle Seahawks and Hunter did not make the highlights that day, fans are applauding the Heisman trophy winner for obtaining the “greater prize.” “He could get zero catches today and still win,” said one user on X.
Meanwhile, Olympic gold medal sprinter Noah Lyles and his fiancée, Junelle Bromfield, were baptized together in late September. The couple, who got engaged last October, publicly professed their faith in Christ while being baptized at Alive Church in Orlando. shared a video of their baptism in a joint post on Instagram. The caption shared Joshua 24:15: “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Lyles has become more outspoken about his faith in God over the last few years. After winning a gold medal in the 100-meter sprint at the 2024 Paris Olympics, he told Premier Christian Radio that his relationship with God became stronger as he faced challenges in the sport.
“I had to find my own journey with God, and a lot of that came through track, because there were a lot of times where I thought I didn’t know if I can do this,” he said. “God, if you really want me to do this, give me a sign. He gave me a sign and I said, ‘I’ll never doubt you again.”
–Metro Voice
