You probably saw the catch on TV. Or maybe you saw it on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The grab made by New York Giants wide receiver David Tyree may be the greatest catch in Super Bowl history. It certainly was a pivotal moment in the Giants’ 2008 victory over the New England Patriots. But it was not the most pivotal moment in young David Tyree’s life. That would be when Tyree found himself behind bars in a jail cell.
“What looked to be the lowest point in my life ended up being the greatest thing that ever happened to me,” Tyree told the New York Times, referring to his 2004 arrest.
Tyree drank and smoked pot from an early age — habits he carried with him into the NFL. In 2004, to pay a $10,000 fine for being late to a team meeting, Tyree decided to sell marijuana — and was arrested. That is when his girlfriend issued an ultimatum: “her lifestyle or his.” He began reading a Bible he spotted on her bed.
A month after his arrest, Tyree went to church and listened to a woman singing with joy. He realized he had none. He hung his head and sobbed. “I had no joy. I had no peace,” said Tyree. “My life was in disarray.”
Now committed to Christ, Tyree’s story is “bigger than his Super Bowl catch,” he says. “It is about destiny and purpose.” He is more concerned with “changing lives,” which he and his wife do through an organization called Next in Line, counseling teens.
Caron Butler of the NBA’s Washington Wizards has a similar story. He made his first drug deal at age 11 and was in juvenile court 15 times before age 15. Then grace broke down his front door at age 17, when the cops barged in to arrest him for drug possession.
Before that incident, while at a juvenile institution, Caron had decided to clean up his act. He read Bible verses his grandmother sent him. While there, he spied a basketball court outside his window. “God puts stuff in front of you for a reason,” he says. He honed his basketball skills, promised to stay out of trouble, and was headed to college before that day the cops broke in to arrest him.
One of the officers, Richard Geller, exercised grace when Butler’s mother promised Geller, “If you give Caron a chance on this, you will never look back.” Geller felt confident the drugs the police had found were not Butler’s and let him go.
“God put his hands on my life,” Butler said. “[God] said, ‘I’m going to touch you so that you can touch others.’” Today, Caron uses his NBA success to give back to his hometown of Racine, Wisconsin — with coat drives, bike giveaways, and holding a basketball camp for youth.
“The good that has come out of it has benefited this community a whole lot more than Caron’s arrest would have,” said Officer Geller.
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Copyright (c) 2008 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. “BreakPoint with Chuck Colson” is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.
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Version used in 2/2/2014 sermon:
It has become known as “The Catch.” ESPN Sportscenter designated it the greatest play in Super Bowl history.
Eli Manning had eluded a sack and threw 32 yards downfield toward David Tyree. Tyree leaped and caught the ball fully extended, bringing it down against his helmet with his right hand. Meanwhile, New England Patriots’ Rodney Harrison pulled violently downward on that arm, simultaneously wrenching Tyree arching backwards towards the turf. Tyree managed to get a second hand on the ball during the descent, and kept the ball only inches from the turf. Harrison struggled to steal the ball away from him on the ground but Tyree kept possession. It was a pivotal moment in the Giants’ victory over the New England Patriots.
But it was not the most pivotal moment in young David Tyree’s life. That would be when Tyree found himself behind bars in a New Jersey jail cell. Tyree had had an inauspicious start in football. He was a second-round draft pick. He had some bad habits, too. Tyree drank until he passed out, smoked pot from an early age, and continued doing these things in his football career. He chased a lot of women, too.
In 2004 he was fined $10,000 for being late to a team meeting. Tyree’s solution was to sell some marijuana to raise the money. Apparently he wasn’t very good at it, because he was arrested. That is when his wife issued an ultimatum: “my lifestyle or yours.” He began reading a Bible he spotted on his wife’s bed. Tyree said “for the first time, the words on the page made sense” to him.
He had never been religious. His mom was not a Christian and they didn’t attend church. A month after his arrest, Tyree went to church and listened to a woman singing with joy. He realized he had none. He hung his head and sobbed. “I had no joy. I had no peace,” said Tyree. “My life was in disarray.”
He committed himself to Jesus Christ. Not only that, but after David Tyree became a Christian, his sister did too. And after his mom saw the changes in the life of her son, she got saved, too, not long before she died from a heart attack.
Tyree says his conversion is “bigger than his Super Bowl catch.” “It is about destiny and purpose.” He has given up the booze, drugs and women. He is a regular speaker at Christian youth rallies in our area. He is more concerned with “changing lives,” which he and his wife do through a ministry that counsels teens.
Tyree told the New York Times, “What looked to be the lowest point in my life ended up being the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”
Learn from your lowest points. They can point you to God.