NFL legend Matthew Slater says he attributes his success to God’s mercy and encourages young athletes to remember that their identity is in Christ, not sports. The New England Patriots’ three-time Super Bowl champion and 10-time Pro Bowl selection received the 2024 K-Lab Fan Awards’ Sports Impact Award, which annually recognizes an athlete or coach who has stuck to their principles amid success.
Slater, who retired this year after 16 seasons and now serves as an advisor to the Patriots, is considered one of the best special teams players in NFL history.
“Be faithful to the seed that God has planted in your heart, it will be tested and it will be spoken about,” he said when asked what advice he would give to young Christian athletes.
“Stay true to what God created you for. Stay authentic. Keep what matters most as what matters most. One of the challenges that comes with being a professional athlete is identity, and I think a lot of people want to put their identity in what they do, especially when the world is telling you how great you are and how much they enjoy the entertainment that football provides. Remember, your identity is in Christ, and Christ is where you are and allows you to continue to be an ambassador for Christ in every arena you’re in.”
“Stay rooted in who you are in Christ,” he added, “because that’s what’s going to sustain you far beyond the game.”
Slater comes from an athletic family — his father, Jackie Slater, is a Pro Football Hall of Famer — and Matthew rose to prominence at UCLA, earning first-team All-Pacific-10 Conference honors before being drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round.
He said receiving the K-Love Sports Impact Award felt bad.
“I don’t want to focus on the story. I want to focus on the author,” he said. “I hope that those who were around me understand that the credit shouldn’t be attributed to me. My journey has been very unique, and I can’t explain it without saying that it’s all because of the goodness and mercy of Jesus.”
He and his wife founded a nonprofit organization. Slater Family Network FoundationTo serve the needs of the New England region.
“We try to show people the love of Christ, tell them about the love of Christ and be there in every way we can,” he said.
Photo credit: ©SWN/Jason Davis, K-LOVE Fan Awards
Michael Faust He has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years, and his work has appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Leaf Chronicle, Toronto Star and Knoxville News Sentinel.
