Thomas Morstead
Episode 284
8 JULY 2024
He is the punter for the New York Jets, entering his 17th season in the NFL. He was chosen in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints and went on to play his first twelve seasons with them before playing for both the Jets and the Atlanta Falcons in 2021, then the Miami Dolphins in 2022, and back to the Jets last season. He is coming off a 2023 season during which he set four New York Jets franchise punting records. He had played collegiately at Southern Methodist University, and on the faith side has a conversion story that involves a familiar name from this show’s guest list.
Notable guest quotes:
“I went to church every Sunday. My mom was very active in Sunday school, and it wasn’t a sometimes thing, it was an every week thing, and it was a very serious part of my upbringing and I’m very grateful to my mom, specifically, for always making it a priority.”
“I played basketball, did karate. And really soccer was always my main thing. I just loved soccer. It was my favorite sport growing up and I was very good at it, scored a lot of goals. And football, I did seventh and eighth grade. I broke my leg at the start of ninth grade in a scrimmage and then didn’t really play after that ‘til I went out for the team my senior year of high school.”
“My dad was actually a professional cyclist and very easily could have pushed me into the cycling world and never ever did that. I’m sure he would have loved for me to pick up cycling and then all to do that with him. But he just let me do my thing and at the same time, I would say both my parents were extraordinarily encouraging and continue to be to this day.”
“I almost quit football after the first three or four weeks of my freshman year.”
“I almost transferred after my first year to another school close at home… not getting opportunities on the team that I felt like were deserved.”
“We did our marriage prep with Monsignor Christopher Nalty down in uptown New Orleans. And he really was the first person that got me persuaded, intrigued, curious. He answered some questions for me about some of my hiccups with the Catholic faith that were never answered until I had that conversation with him.”
“NFL life is kind of a preparation for the aging process in life. And I think when you get towards the end of your time in the NFL, probably just the same as in life, it’s an encouragement to let people know that they’ve positively influenced the direction of your life and your family’s life and how you do things.”
“We were able to go underneath the Vatican on a scavi tour and get a look at St. Peter’s remains.”
“I find that game day can be a spiritual experience for me.”
“And a lot of times, I’m in my own space – kind of like when you should pray quietly by yourself and not for everybody to see – a lot of times during the game, that’s kind of how I pass my time, is, just what’s kind of little prayers throughout the game.”
“I feel like God’s put me there that day to do a job. And I’ve done all the preparation. I did all the work, the rest, the recovery, the nutrition, all the things that are required for me to be my best. And I almost feel like the results are not up to me.”
Related link:
Thomas Morstead bio on nfl.com
