Tampa Bay Buccaneers' player Ryan Succop said God led him to play with the team.
Following the Buccaneers' victory in this year's National Football League Super Bowl, placekicker Ryan Succop gave credit to God for showing him a sign that led him to play with Tampa Bay. He revealed that months before the game on Feb. 7, God already showed him that he made the right decision to be with the team.
Succop had a rough journey before God brought him to where he is now. He shared in an interview with Sports Spectrum what he faced as everybody around the world struggled with the pandemic, the Christian Post reported.
"Last year was a really difficult year for me, coming off of an injury, trying to play and maybe wasn't where I needed to be, and really struggled when I played," the athlete stated.
An injury that cut his six seasons with the Tennessee Titans in 2019 left him jobless until almost throughout 2020, GodTV noted.
"It was tough, it was frustrating, there was definitely some adversity," the Christian player said. "When you go through something like that, I think it's human nature where you start to kind of doubt yourself," he added.
It was on August 2020 that he met and joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Although it seemed to him that he was stepping into uncertainty, he put all his trust in God believing that the Lord will protect Him with his decisions.
Succop said that before he left the hotel to meet with the Buccaneers, God showed him a rainbow that pointed towards the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. He then understood that it was God speaking to him through a sign showing that God wants him to be there.
"It was unavoidable, like I was like, 'Oh my gosh, the Lord is showing me that He wants me to be here," Succop said.
The Christian athlete said he uttered a prayer the night before the meeting. In his prayer, he entrusted things to the will of God.
"This is wild, but literally the night before that workout (in Tampa), I had been praying about this like, 'Lord, if You want this for me and my family, I just trust You with it and I'll just trust You to take care of it. And You'll show me if You want us to be here or not," he stated.
On Sep. 1, 2020, Succop officially signed a one-year contract with Tampa Bay. The months with the team were not just about the games.
The Christian athlete said that due to the restrictions, he found more time to commune with the Lord and study His word. He also took advantage of the socially distant season to fellowship with other believers in the team.
During the interview, Succop shared his favorite game scripture. He said that before every game, he would read Philippians 4:6-7.
"When we trust Him, man, it's amazing what He'll do in our lives," Succop said.
"Sometimes I think God uses the challenging times to grow us and mold us. He's Master Potter and we're the clay, and I think He uses these times to get the clay exactly how He wants it," he concluded.
