University of Miami head football coach told
his players, “It’s a choice. If you want to just leave it at the chair, you
can. If you want to take it with you, you can. If you want to give it to
somebody, you can.”
Head football coach Mark Richt of the University of Miami
is a Christian who is concerned about the access (or lack thereof) his players
have to the word of God. This concern prompted him to give every member of his
team a personalized Bible in a translation they can understand.
Richt employed the help of the team chaplain, Steve
DeBardelaben, to pull off his gift to each member of the team and the
coaching staff, according to the Sun Sentinel. Richt gave the Bibles out at a Sunday team
meeting, but told the players it was their choice whether they wanted to accept
the gift or not.
“I told the guys, ‘It’s a choice. If you want to just leave
it at the chair, you can. If you want to take it with you, you can. If you want
to give it to somebody, you can. But I just heard enough guys say they didn’t
have one and some guys said they had older versions that were harder to
understand,’” Richt told the Sun Sentinel.
Junior receiver, Braxton Berrios, posted a picture of the Bible he was given to his Instagram account. From the picture, it looks like Richt chose the New Living Translation for his players.
Safety Rayshawn Jenkins said Richt’s gift “lets us know he
wants good for us.” As the Sun Sentinel article points out, this is not the first
time Richt has given a gift to benefit his players. “Earlier this year, he and
his wife, Katharyn, donated $1 million to the coming Carol Soffer Indoor
Practice Facility.”
The coach has also been known to quote verses from
Proverbs to his players. Richt told the Christian Post that he tells his players, “If anyone
would take the challenge of reading a proverb a day, you’re going to get
wiser.” Commenting on his exposing his players to the word of God, Richt
says, “I just wanted to make it available to them.”
In an interview with the Miami Herald, Richt emphasized that he’s not trying to
force his beliefs on the players, but instead trying to live out his his own
convictions, which include how he treats the people under his authority.
“I’m not trying to make anybody believe anything I believe. I just want to do
things in a way that I think God would be pleased with me. That’s my goal on a
daily basis…I know if I do that, I’m blessing the players I’m in charge of.”
Richt is a great example of a person in a position of
leadership who is trying to help the young people (and staff) in his charge.
Although sometimes it feels people in careers outside the church have their hands
tied when it comes to sharing their faith, Richt’s example shows us how to
tactfully operate around the restrictions.
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