NFL fullback Tyler Clutts says his friendship with other Christian players has made his relationship with his wife even stronger, and he credits God for being at the centre of all of this.
Writing for The Increase Football, a Christian website, Clutts says, "Christian accountability is about consistency."
This means, he says, "being the man and the leader that God has called me to be, day in and day out."
He cites Christian NFL players Josh McCown, Justin Forsett and Jon Kitna as the ones "who I look up to the most."
Clutts says the three live the Christian life daily and "who are accountable to their teammates, spouses, and community."
"Each one of these guys is the same person in the locker room, at home with his wife, and in church on Sunday," he says.
Clutts is a free agent who has played for the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans.
He considers Matt Forte of the New York Jets as "a brother whom I've grown really close to."
"We stay in touch regularly, encouraging each other, aiming to point each other towards Christ. Our wives also are really close to each other, as are our kids. We look forward to FaceTime with the Fortes every couple of weeks—doing life together," he says.
Clutts says he has bonded with other men who have the same struggles and challenges, and this "has resulted in having relationships that are really strong."
"When God is the glue in these relationships, there's nothing that can break that apart," he writes.
He says during his rookie year in the NFL when he was "was very immature as a Christian, I was really trying to do everything myself, putting the weight of the world on my own shoulders."
Clutts says he thought hard work was the reason for his career "but in reality, the only reason I've been able to accomplish anything is because God has allowed me to. He has a purpose for me."
He realised this during the time when he was with the Bears in 2012. He says Josh McCown invited the entire team to a Christian conference and he was glad he did.
At the conference, he met Dr. Tony Evans, Francis Chan and Steve Stenstrom that "really helped me grow in my faith in Christ."
"It completely redirected my life and my marriage," he says.
He thanks McCown "for being willing to step out in faith and encourage me and the rest of our team to seek Christ."
"Because he lives with accountability and contagious faith, my own life and faith were ignited," he says.
He then cites Hebrews 10:24-25, which says, "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Clutts is also thankful to Jonathan Evans, the team chaplain of the Dallas Cowboys, who he says helped him "stay grounded in my faith but to mature as a Christ-follower."
"As I shifted my focus off of being the perfect player and onto playing for God, my game completely changed. This realisation freed me up to be the player that God created me to be instead of the one I thought I had to be," he says.
