How much credit does Jesus deserve for the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII victory?
It’s a question that can be posed to NBC analyst Tony Dungy, who has come under fire for stating Nick Foles would “play well because his Christian faith would allow him to play with confidence” before the understudy quarterback led Eagles to victory.
Dungy, a Hall of Fame member and former Bucs and Colts head coach, spoke on air during the game about the faith of Foles, who has said he wants to be a pastor for high school students after his career concludes. Himself an outspoken Christian, Dungy spent much of Tuesday responding to Twitter critics who don’t see how Foles’ religious beliefs helped him defeat the Patriots.
“NBC pays me to express my opinion,” Dungy replied to one Twitter user. “And it was my opinion that Nick Foles would play well because his Christian faith would allow him to to play with confidence. And that he’s a good QB. I think I was right on both counts.”
Dungy reported that Foles told him God had “a special moment” coming for him and his Eagles, and Dungy felt Sunday validated that. That only led to more backlash, including from those feeling God concerns himself with things bigger than football.
“This was much bigger than the score of a football game,” Dungy wrote. “How many young boys are going to look up to Nick Foles because of what he did in this moment? When they do they’ll see something about LIFE!”
Another issue detractors saw was the implication that Foles’ team won because he believed enough — as if a slight to the faith of players on the Patriots. Tom Brady, for example, is a Christian, too.
“Didn’t say anything about Brady,” Dungy wrote. “Didn’t make any comparisons. Didn’t say God wanted the Eagles to win. Said Foles’ faith [in] Christ played a role in him playing so well.”
Foles’ belief in God has gained a spotlight since he took over the Eagles, especially because he was considering retiring after the Rams cut him following the 2013 season, but he said prayer turned him back to football.
“It’s on my heart,” Foles told the Associated Press. “I took a leap of faith last year and signed up to take classes at seminary. I wanted to continue to learn and challenge my faith. It’s a challenge because you are writing papers that are biblically correct. You want to impact people’s hearts.”