For MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL analyst Anthony “Booger” McFarland, becoming more mature has deepened his understanding of God.
“I’ve become more mature, and so when you become more mature, the importance of things changes in your life because the things that used to matter don’t really matter anymore,” McFarland said on the “Sports Spectrum” podcast with Matt Forte. “And I think that’s where I am.”
“I think I’ve learned, you know, you grow up in a time where, man, if you didn’t go to church on Sunday, boy. You know, you’re a bad believer. Well, sometimes things happen,” he reflected. “But church is not necessarily just a building, right? It’s not necessarily that you have to go to a place. It’s in you, how you live, how you go about doing on a day in a day out basis.”
“So, I’ve matured to the point where when I was younger, you’d be like, ‘Man, I’m a bad Christian today.’ Well, how are you living Monday through Saturday? Who are you impacting? Who are you picking up when they’re down? Who are you praying for? Who’s praying for you?” the two-time Super Bowl champ continued.
“Like all those different things, I start to understand as I’ve gotten older and more mature. And so, I think the spiritual walk, although it’s not perfect, is a more mature walk with Christ now,” he added.
McFarland was drafted 15th overall in the 1999 NFL Draft. He played at LSU in college, where he earned first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC honors. He won two Super Bowls, one with Tampa Bay (Super Bowl XXXVII) and one with the Indianapolis Colts (Super Bowl XLI). He retired after the 2007 season, ESPN reported.
Related: ESPN Analyst Fran Fraschilla Declares ‘Jesus Died for Me’
During his time in Tampa, McFarland was coached by one of the biggest Christians in all of football, Tony Dungy.
“Coach Dungy was the classic example of what a god-fearing, faith-based football man could be, was, was going to be because he treated us like men,” McFarland told Sports Spectrum in 2019. “He showed us that you can be in this profession without using a ton of profanity.”
In a 2018 interview, the former athlete said Dungy meant “everything” to him, especially as a young football star.
“…Tony’s a guy who not only prepared you to play football on Sunday; he prepared you to live life every day,” McFarland explained. “Tony meant everything, because he taught you in so many different forms and facets of life about life, and I think that’s the thing why Tony is so beloved, not only in Indy but in Tampa and wherever he goes, is because very rarely in life do you have someone that can share with them the knowledge with you that will cover a plethora of topics — not just football, not just being a dad, not just being a husband, but life. ”
Now years removed from his playing days, McFarland’s faith looks different than it did when he was younger. He no longer measures his walk with Christ by whether he made it to church on Sunday. He measures it by how he lives the rest of the week.
Read Next: ESPN College Football Analyst Trusts God’s Plan: ‘Love Where God Has Me’
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
