Denver Broncos free safety Justin Simmons recently opened up about a heartwarming moment when one of his teammates, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, waited to pray with him after he missed a post-game prayer some of the players regularly participate in.
In a post on Instagram, Simmons, who is a professing Christian, said the moment occurred on Sunday after his team won 26-0 over the New York Jets.
“After every game, home or away, a group of players from both teams come together to say a prayer at midfield.” he wrote. “It’s my favorite thing about game day on Sunday. Giving thanks and praise to God win or lose,” he added.
This past Sunday, however, following the game, Simmons got held up in an interview with CBS Sports about his team’s 3-0 start to the season and missed the group prayer.
“Once the interview was over, I immediately looked behind me towards the 50-yard line, nervous that I had missed the prayer, and I did,” he continued. “However, Teddy was there waiting and told me ‘J! I got you man … I know you didn’t wanna miss this’ and started praying,” Simmons shared.
“There is a reason God brings people in your life depending on what ‘season’ of life you’re in. Teddy didn’t know, I never told him, but I needed that prayer.” He added.
In an interview with 9News, Simmons elaborated on the moment, thanking God for using Bridgewater to pray for him at that moment.
“I shared on my post that I needed that prayer and there was no way Teddy would have known. I never told him,” Simmons told the outlet. “It’s really impactful, and I just wanted to encourage and share that because there’s so many times in life where you get caught up in your own situation and your own circumstances.
“I shared that post because God is always for you, and God used Teddy in that moment for me. I’m just really thankful for it,” he concluded.
According to Sports Spectrum, Simmons was drafted and signed by the Denver Broncos in 2016. He had previously played football at Boston College. Last season, Simmons was voted to the 2021 Pro Bowl after recording a career-high five interceptions.
He was also named a first-team All-Pro in 2019 and second-team All-Pro in 2020 by Pro Football Focus.
In March of this year, Simmons renewed his contract with the Broncos for another four years.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Dustin Bradford/Stringer
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
