A Contrast Between Eagles' Nick Sirianni and Broncos' Bo Nix
Why It's Important to Guard Our Words
It’s not easy to carefully guard your words. But that difficulty makes the battle more important.
Why is it important? Because with our tongues we present the testimony of our Christian walk.
And even in one of the most intense professions in the United States, success can be found. Pressure is high, careers are short, and pain is common in the National Football League. Also common is the use of foul language.
But doesn’t every Christian struggle to control the tongue? Scripture says yes, in James 3:8.
“but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
THE CONTRAST
This verse in James doesn’t mean a Christian gets a pass when things get tough. Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix provide two different ends of the spectrum. It’s easy to find examples of Sirianni cursing on the Internet. It would be much more difficult, if not impossible, to find a video of similar words coming out of the mouth of Nix.
Sirianni replied to a question two years ago about using profanity toward another team’s sideline with this comment on YouTube.
“I’m just gonna stick up for our guys,” Sirianni said. “That’s just who I am.”
But Nix, who also plays in the high-intensity league, sticks up for his guys in a Scriptural manner. Brought up in the Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Alabama, Nix said he decided long ago to communicate differently, even in the heat of the battle, according to denverpost.com.
“I just believe out of the heart, the mouth flows,” Nix said in December. “I want to keep my heart clean. There is something positive about the words you use. So I think it’s important.”
Of course, Sirianni is a Super Bowl-winning head coach. He’s been to the game twice in his first four years as a head coach, joining Washington’s Joe Gibbs and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin as the only ones to achieve that feat.
Nix recently completed his first NFL season. He posted a record of 10-7 and finished third in the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
To be clear, this article isn’t trying to lift Nix and tear down Sirianni. The focus is on what Scripture says about the tongue in the next two verses. (James 3:9-10)
“With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”
When Sirianni’s team won the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, he said the following, according to a post on X by Fox Sports.
“God's blessed us very much," Sirianni said. "He gave us all the talents to be able to get here, so first and foremost thanks to him.”
Later, he added, “But, thank you, God. Thank you, Jesus.”
Like Nix, Sirianni is a professing Christian. A story on sportsspectrum.com from two years ago discusses Sirianni’s involvement in the team’s Bible study and faith walk.
THE KEY QUESTION
Which man’s testimony would be stronger in the same setting? If Bo Nix wins the Super Bowl one day and thanks the Lord, wouldn’t it be a more powerful testimony about Jesus’ work in his heart when people haven’t continually heard cursing coming from the same mouth?
I admit being surprised when I heard Sirianni point to Jesus after the Super Bowl win. I knew of his coarse language and cursing of fans. But I didn’t realize he claimed the name of Jesus.
As Christians, our testimony is often our words. We speak of what God has done in our lives and joyfully sing praise music. We share what it means to be born again.
But when tough situations arise, what comes out of our mouths?
THE REST OF THE STORY
If the Holy Spirit lives inside a person’s heart, the Spirit doesn’t wink and nod and say, ‘That’s OK,’ if a curse word comes out. The Spirit convicts.
Every Christian must seek repentance when the wrong words come forth. If a person claims the name of Jesus but uses bad language — especially if it’s commonplace — and repentance doesn’t follow, the person should consider one of two things. Either the person has quenched the Spirit for a time, or the Spirit hasn’t taken up residence inside the person’s heart.
It would have made a difference if Sirianni had said, “I’m just gonna stick up for our guys … ” and finished with something like … “but those words don’t reflect who I am and I’m sorry I used them.” Christians cannot ignore what the Bible says while at the same time claiming to believe everything it says.
At the end of each day, it comes down to repentance. We all fall short. But there’s good news. If we consistently repent and ask forgiveness, we can find different words to say in difficult or intense situations. Repentance doesn’t lead to perfection, but moves us toward improvement and a better Christian walk.
