Earlier this week, Robert Griffin III, a former NFL quarterback from 2012 to 2020 (Redskins, Browns and Ravens), posted on X about why BYU had earned its place in the College Football Playoff. Punctuating his remarks, he said at the end: “Stop the persecution of the Christians, man ... come on!”
His commentary became a social media magnet for naysayers ready to recap their theological reasons for objecting to the label. But Robert Griffin III (often called RG3 for short), has heard this pushback before.
‘The battle of the Christians’
One year ago, on the day of the BYU Baylor football game in Waco, Texas, on Sep 28, 2024, Griffin posted on social media afterward, “BYU won the battle of the Christians.” In another attempt to correct him, Cameron Kemp posted the same day, “BYU is Mormon bro, not Christian.”
To that, Griffin responded, “Mormons are Christian.”
With that, the floodgates opened up, starting with Latter-day Saints expressing appreciation for the gesture:
“Thanks RG you are amazing for recognizing us and saying that,” wrote KJ Willy. A user named Ambam26 wrote, “Appreciate it. We believe in Christ (as) our Savior. It’s only believing in Christ and his Infinite Atonement that allows us to return to God.”
Another user, Aidan, simply said, “Amen, we believe in Jesus Christ.”
“Thank you,“ wrote Rebecca Billat. ”It gets exhausting trying to defend ourselves.” Jordan Harmon expressed his gratitude for “standing up for us.”
Jeff Beck quipped that the former quarterback, who also helped call a number of BYU games in recent years as a broadcaster, would have “your choice of 100,000 households eager to have you as a guest for Sunday dinner.”
Although the response online was overwhelmingly warm, some warned the quarterback about backlash. It’s true there were some heavy comments with derogatory language in the mix. And a few who simply objected, saying, “Nah,” “I’m afraid not. Speak to any Christian theologian.”
“Not the same Christ,” another wrote. In response to these kinds of notes, a user named “cavaleiro” pointed out “every Christian denomination has doctrinal differences.”
“Unfortunately people try to gatekeep what ‘Christian’ means beyond the simplest definition of: ‘a believer and follower of Jesus Christ and his teachings.’”
One member of another Christian denomination objected to saying his disagreement with the quarterback was “hate,” stating, “Pretending someone is a Christian isn’t loving. Accountability and truth are not hateful.”
Griffin himself was raised in a deeply religious home and has been unapologetic about his own Christian faith. In a 2021 interview, he described himself as a “believer” while saying, “I know I’m not perfect. ... I’ve made mistakes, but I think God understands that and that’s about a relationship with God; to be able to confess your sins and move forward.”
“I try to live in a way that exudes that faith,” the quarterback continued. “I’m not trying to pressure anybody.”
“I wish all Christians could be more united,” wrote a user named Gold&SilverMiners.
“In a world becoming increasingly hostile to religion & Christianity we strive to find unity and common ground with other believers and especially followers of Christ,” wrote Latter-day Saint Matt Nielsen.
Several people quoted the Book of Mormon directly, including Troy Sariah, who posts with the account @BlackBlessedLDS.
One user, Fiver Reviver, posted in response with the symbol announced in spring 2020 for the Church of Jesus Christ: