A Lamp Unto My Cleats

He stands 5 feet and 6 inches tall.

He weighs 203 pounds.

He never received a scholarship to play NCAA football.

He was a walk-on at Louisiana Tech.

That doesn’t sound like the resume of an NFL athlete.  Yet that describes Los Angeles Rams running back, Boston Scott.

Scott attended Zachary High School in a small town about a hundred miles northwest of New Orleans.  He played football, soccer, and ran track.  He won the state championship in powerlifting.  He totaled more than 1,500 all-purpose yards, averaging 6.2 yards per carry and scoring 17 touchdowns.  But he was also 5’6.”  In spite of his strength, his speed, and his success, he didn’t look like an NCAA football player.  He didn’t’ make anyone’s top prospect list.  He didn’t catch the eyes of college recruiters.  He didn’t receive any scholarship offers. 

But that didn’t stop his dream.  Scott enrolled at Louisiana Tech and tried out for the football team.  He told Andrew Doughty of Hero Sports; “I loved football. I was going to show up, practice hard and, if things turned my way, I would run with it.”

Run with it he did!  In his senior year, he rushed for 1,047 yards, scored 9 total touchdowns, reeled in 20 catches for 181 yards, and was named a part of the Conference USA All-Conference team in 2017.  He did not garner much national attention but was dubbed by Doughty; “The most elusive player you’ve never heard of.”

In spite of his size and his lack of recognition, he was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the 6^th round of the 2018 NFL draft.  He made the Saints practice squad but was then signed by the Philadelphia Eagles in week 15 of the 2018 season.

Athletes often share how they are motivated by the doubters and the haters.  They often set out to prove wrong the people who said they wouldn’t make it.  Boston Scott had plenty of people who said that he wouldn’t make it.  They, however, weren’t his main source of motivation.

Scott told Rob Maadi of the Faith on the Field Show; “At the end of the day, when you do achieve what want to achieve where are the people that said that you couldn’t do it?  They’re nowhere to be found.  I always tell people, ‘yeah it’s cool to prove the doubters wrong, but I do what I do to prove the people who believe in me right…’  That’s kind of the mindset that I’ve adopted and that’s kind of how I move.”

Scott isn’t motivated by his desire to prove people wrong.  In fact, he really isn’t motivated by what others think of him at all!  Instead, he gets his courage, strength, and motivation from God and defines himself – not by what people think of him – but how God thinks of him.  Scott’s favorite Bible verse is Joshua 1:9; Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous?  Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord Your God will be with you wherever you go. 

Concerning those words, Scott told Maadi; so, you know, that stuck with me for a long time, because I’ve definitely been through a lot of adversity.  I was a walk-on at Louisiana Tech.  And there were a lot of times where I face adversity with injuries, you know, with not playing. And I feel like, in the league, it’s a revolving door.  You can be in.  You can be out.  You know, it’s all based on your performance.  How you perform on the field kind of dictates how people see you; how people view you.  But I know that, at the end of the day, no matter if I’m the best football player or if things don’t even work out with football.  I know that, regardless, God loves me for who I am and that’s not gonna change, you know, regardless of what happens to me; whether that’s stepping on the field – whether that’s in life.  I know that, no matter what I go through, He’s always going to be with me no matter what, so that’s why I carry myself with confidence.  That’s why I’m strong.  That’s why I am courageous; because that’s what He’s commanded us to be, because He’s going to be with us.

Scott’s words remind us the of the words of the Apostle Paul.  Paul wrote in Galatians 1:10; for am I now seeking the approval of man or of God?  Or am I trying to please man?  If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Scott demonstrates an important lesson for us.  Our motivation in life should not come from a desire to prove others wrong or to gain the approval of others.  We have a God who created us in His image, who loves us dearly, and has given His Son to die for us.  Our identity is in Him.  Our strength comes from Him.  Our motivation should come from a desire to serve Him and to live as His children.  Scott strives each day to prove the people who believed in him right.  We strive each day to give the glory to the one who died for us.