On Sept. 28, Chicago Bears starting quarterback and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) Nick Foles met with St. Joe’s students via Zoom during “An Evening with Nick Foles”.
The event, a Q&A session between Foles and students, was planned and organized by Student Leadership & Activities.
Foles, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl LII victory in 2018 and was recently named starting quarterback for the Bears, talked with students about his experience living in Philadelphia, his mental health and his journey to the Super Bowl.
He related almost all of his experiences back to his commitment to his faith.
“I could play bold and fearless because I realized that this game isn’t my identity,” Foles said. “The outcome of a game doesn’t determine my life, but how I glorify God in playing this game, that’s what truly matters. God’s put me in many situations that I’ve been, quite frankly, very uncomfortable, but I’ve had to lean on him to get through those.”
Foles said that when the Eagles’ starting quarterback Carson Wentz tore his ACL in 2017, clearing the way for Foles to take over, the relationship he had with Jesus Christ alleviated the anxiety, stress and pressure surrounding him and helped him keep his composure during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run. He added that sharing this strong faith with Wentz helped give him confidence.
“The situation was a tall task for any human being,” Foles said. “Having that brother in Christ to go through it with and talk to in scripture was one of the most beautiful things.”
Foles said that he had a great experience as a member of the Philadelphia community. He mentioned that he and his wife enjoyed walking around Rittenhouse Square every Friday, and that their favorite restaurant in Philadelphia is Friday, Saturday, Sunday on South 21st St.
Foles said the love that the Philadelphia community showed him during his time with the Eagles left a lasting impression.
“I have nothing but love for Philadelphia,” Foles said. “Most people would have thought that that season was impossible, but it was just very fitting for the city of Philadelphia to show that anything is possible when you do it genuinely and do it out of love.”
The event was hosted and moderated by Michael Castellano ’23 and CJ Donofry ’22. An Eagles fan himself, Castellano said that he believed excitement was high among the student body prior to the event.
“A lot of people wanted to know how he likes Philly, and about his connection with his faith,” Castellano said. “We [wanted] to keep the topics open to all sorts of things that I think people in attendance looked forward to hearing.”
Dan Shell ’22, who attended the event, said that Foles was a symbol of hope in Philadelphia for so many people.
“From a sports standpoint, I think Philly really cares about results, and he delivered that,” Shell said. “He also represented hope for the city, and doing what had to be done no matter what.”
Foles also said that he stresses to everyone he speaks to that the completion of a goal doesn’t make a person feel complete.
Foles said that after defeating the Patriots in Super Bowl LII, he learned that his identity is not a Super Bowl Champion and MVP, but a follower of Christ.
“If you think winning the Super Bowl is going to complete you as a human being, you’re going to be very sad the next day,” Foles said. “I was grateful in that moment to know that my identity was sealed in the blood of Jesus Christ. Going on the Super Bowl stage, that’s all I could think about when I was holding my daughter.”
While Foles’ unwavering commitment to his faith and his NFL legacy set a lofty bar for St. Joe’s students to replicate, he left them with some simple advice to try to stay mentally healthy.
“I like to journal what’s going on in my life,” Foles said. “I journal stories, I journal so that my heart is steady. I pour into it.”
