By Nicole AlcindorCP Reporter Friday, February 09, 2024

During a media availability this week before Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy shared how he leans on. Psalm 23 this season by reading the passage every day to “begin with a little solitude.”

“The Lord is my shepherd. I have what I need. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters,” Purdy said, paraphrasing Psalm 23:1 while Sports Spectrum interview posted to YouTube on Wednesday.

“For me, playing this game, playing this sport, there's a lot that goes into it. It's easy to get wrapped up in wanting and feeling, wanting to be loved — obviously by your teammates and everybody, but like the world. For me, in that passage, is talking about I already have what I need from the Good Shepherd in Jesus.”

The 24-year-old NFL athlete, who played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones and was selected by the 49ers with the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, said he refers to the psalm in moments when he needs it most .

“It's what I start with, actually, every day. I just read Psalm 23 to myself before I start, start with a little solitude, and then, I go about my day.”

In addition to reading the Bible, Purdy said he also prays before and while he plays.

“It's not 'God, can we win here? Can we do something great here?' It's more about having that peace, that steadiness in all the chaos. That's really what it is,” he said.

“And sink it in like, 'Holy Spirit, you know, take over and, and lead me here in this moment and allow me to think clearly, allow me to obviously go through my readings and like I said, have an even keel. state of mind that I receive from the Holy Spirit.”

In his second season in the NFL, Purdy has stayed true to his faith and doesn't seem afraid to share how it affects his daily life both on and off the field.

In late January, Purdy made a postgame commentary praising God after Sunday's victory that allowed his team to advance to Super Bowl LVIII.

“First of all, Glory to God. He gave us this opportunity … and for us, it's a team sport,” Purdy said. “You know, we knew we had [a] half left. Defense did its job. Boys offended took care of business. Coach called a great game, and we had the faithful behind us all the way. We love you guys.”

Last January, Purdy suffered a UCL tear in the elbow of his right pitching arm in the last game of his rookie season.

In a press conference last year, head coach Kyle Shanahan called his starting quarterback “pretty steady” and admired Purdy's confidence, saying his beliefs are what seem to propel him to great success.

“He's a very faith-based person. I think that gives him his foundation as much as anybody I've been around,” Shanahan said. “He's taken this whole offseason as well as you can. … He handles the pressure well and really doesn't change.”

“I think that's why the guys love him, and I think that's why he's going to keep getting better.”