When evaluating the best quarterbacks in the NFL currently, Pat Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow are the first names that come to mind. One player who has already made his way into the conversation after just one season is Houston Texans rookie quarterback CJ Stroud.
Stroud has broken multiple records, led the league in average yards per game, and given the Houston Texans their first AFC South title and postseason appearance since the Deshaun Watson era.
C.J. Stroud responds after NBC removes his Jesus praise from interview clip https://t.co/rkTOLuvmVM
— The Christian Post (@ChristianPost) February 6, 2024
Completing 16 of 21 pass attempts for 274 yards and three touchdowns, CJStroud continued his star-making rookie season in the Houston Texans’ 45-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns in the AFC Wild Card round.
It’s no surprise that NBC’s Kathryn Tappen grabbed Stroud for a postgame interview, asking the Ohio State product what the Texans’ Wild Card win meant to him.
“First of all, I just want to give all glory and praise to my lord and savior, Jesus Christ. I mean, it’s been amazing being in this city for as short as I’ve been, but the love that I’ve got. I’ve just been doing it for Houston, man,” Stroud said.
“The people back home, I’m blessed enough to be in the position I’m in and blessed enough to be playing at a high level right now. We gotta keep it going, but I’m super blessed,” he added.
Tappen’s interview with Stroud, however, soon became an unlikely source of controversy. While the interview aired on NBC, a clip of it that was posted to NBC’s Sunday Night in America on X (formerly Twitter) edited the rookie quarterback’s answer down, removing the religious references at the start of his answer.
As people noticed the discrepancy between Stroud’s actual interview and the clip that was posted to social media, many were quick to criticize NBC for what they viewed as a form of religious censorship.
In an interview about NBC cutting his praise to Jesus Christ after his playoff win, he was asked if he had any feelings since his faith plays a big part in his life.
“I’m not angry about it. I wish that it wasn’t that, but, you know, I pray for people, and I think God has called us to love one another through thick and thin, mistakes or successes. I want to show love. We’re not all perfect as people, even myself, I follow the Lord, but I’m not perfect, and I try to be that light in a dark time,” Stroud responded.
Still, NBC should have known better than to remove something as sensitive as religion from Stroud’s answer, especially without noting that the clip had been edited.
