Former NFL player speaks at JBU
Posted on Friday, April 11, 2008
SILOAM SPRINGS — When college students graduate, they are usually eager to get out on their own, former NFL player Tarik Glenn told a crowd at John Brown University on Thursday morning.
“ But is independence what you really want ? ” he asked rhetorically.
Glenn was a first-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in the 1997 NFL draft. He was as an offensive lineman for the Colts for 10 years and won the Super Bowl in 2007. Glenn made his first Pro Bowl appearance in 2005 and returned again in 2006. He retired from the NFL in July 2007. He now spends time sharing his faith in God.
“ That’s what our job is as believers, ” he said. “ To share our testimony. ”
As he spoke, Glenn said the dictionary definition of independence involves being free from the control and / or influence of something or someone else. He countered the idea, however, by saying that in a young person’s adult life, having a dependence on God will help that person be the most successful.
“ I could have made lots of money if I had stayed in the NFL, but God said he had something better for me, ” Glenn said. “ Since it would not have been God’s will (to stay in the NFL ), it probably would not have developed into what I thought it would be. ”
Glenn also said it’s important to remember to continue submitting to authority.
Many students and community members approached Glenn for an autograph or just to say “ thanks” after his talk. One was JBU student Jessica Norcross of Indianapolis.
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