During the 2005 NFL playoffs Benjamin Watson, a 255-pound tight end, ran more than 100 yards to prevent one of the league’s fastest players from scoring. A decade later football fans still cite that play as one of the best examples of hustle in sports history.

Watson, a father of five homeschooled children, enjoyed his best season in 2015, but some know him for his thoughtful essays on cultural topics ranging from Ferguson, Mo., unrest to North Carolina’s bathroom bill, and for his book Under Our Skin: Getting Real About Race—and Getting Free from the Fears and Frustrations that Divide Us. With the 2016 NFL season fast approaching, I questioned Watson at the Baltimore Ravens training facility: Here are edited excerpts.

What was it like to grow up as a pastor’s son? A gift and a curse at the same time. My father was a very strong figure. A lot of people outside of our family looked up to him and came to him for advice. My parents molded me into the person I am today, and I have many fond memories of childhood; but while I was there, I hated the rules. Now, at 35, I’m like, man, my parents were really smart, and I’m very thankful for the parents God gave me.

How did you become one of the most respected players in football? When you get past 10 years—this is 13 for me—a certain amount of respect comes. Whether they know you or not, the young guys call you old man, gramps, all of that. I remember being a younger player in this league and seeing how guys like Willie McGinest, Rodney Harrison, and Mike Vrabel led, practiced, performed on Sundays. They even taught me things about life in general, how you need to be a husband and dad. Over time I’ve tried to be that for other players.

‘We walk around as champions in Christ, as conquerors, not because of anything we did, but because of everything He did.’

Why for a while didn’t you want to wear your 2004 Super Bowl ring? In 2004 I was a rookie wanting to earn the respect of veterans, but I tore my ACL. I didn’t want to wear the ring because I felt it was for the guys who played in the game. It wasn’t until years later, when I had a struggle with perfectionism and grasping God’s grace, that I realized accepting that ring is like how we have to accept His grace. We walk around as champions in Christ, as conquerors, not because of anything we did, but because of everything He did. So I can wear the ring with pride, even though I didn’t play, because it was done on my behalf by the guys on the team. It’s like the imputed righteousness of Christ.

You’re well-known for chasing down Champ Bailey in the 2005 playoffs. How often are you asked about that play? A lot of Pop Warner coaches and even people who run corporations use it as an example of perseverance and never giving up. My father still gets asked about that. He has a whole sermon series of illustrations he’s pulled out of that play.

A metaphor for the Christian life? Definitely—perseverance, obstacles, setbacks, determination, faith. It’s funny how sports can always point to spiritual things.

Why did you start writing essays on cultural topics? The writing really took off after I wrote that Facebook post about Ferguson. Living in a house where my father was a pastor, I picked up from him this: Whatever your emotion is, you need to filter that through truth. The only truth we really have is the truth of the Bible. That’s never changing.

How do you feel when people disagree with you? I ended my piece about Ferguson by saying the gospel is what gives us hope. An atheist said, “I agreed with you all the way until the God part. We could do without the God part. But the way you said it is making me think.” That’s what you want. You may not convince someone to change religion over Facebook, but when we speak the truth in love and we challenge people, the Holy Spirit does His work. That guy may still be an atheist, but he sounded like he was rethinking this whole God thing—that’s enough for me.

If people take away one thing from your book, what should it be? Before you look outside, look inside. On both sides we need to deal with our sin. We need to call racism what it is: sin. We need to call unforgiveness what it is: sin. We need to call pride and hatred what it is: sin. There’s only one solution.

You do some blogging, and you’re also an NFL spokesman for the All Pro Dad campaign. The name of my blog is Truth in the Game. It’s the idea of extracting truth and using football as an illustration of certain truths of life. The goal of All Pro Dad is to serve children by serving dads and helping them deal with issues.

What’s the goal of your One More foundation? To spread the hope and love of Christ to one more soul. We do that by meeting people’s real needs, promoting education, partnering with other charities, and doing our own initiatives. And we want our kids to have a legacy of giving.

How do you think through this year’s confusing election? As believers we have to understand a couple of things. No. 1, the book of Romans says God is in control of the government. Ultimately, God can use any government, good or bad, for His purposes. We’re called to be involved and aware, and we should vote; but we have to be careful not to be so worried about it being the end of the world if this person wins. God knows Donald Trump is running and Hillary Clinton is running, and His will is going to be done. No. 2, a lot of Christians, myself included, have a hard time with Trump’s rhetoric and brashness. But some of what Hillary stands for—I could never vote for her. There are some issues over which I can’t vote for someone. Life is one. Terrorism, welfare, so many topics. We have to hold everything to the lens of Scripture and realize that God’s in control, and we’re not. That’s hard.

What will life after football look like for you? I want to do some broadcasting: That’s an interest. Another is writing. There’s a lot of unknown. My hope, my prayer, is that whatever is next will be obvious and God will make it abundantly apparent.

Watson on Ferguson

More than 1 million people read Benjamin Watson’s 600 Facebook words about Ferguson. Here’s most of the concluding paragraph:

“Ultimately the problem is not a SKIN problem, it is a SIN problem. SIN is the reason we rebel against authority. SIN is the reason we abuse our authority. SIN is the reason we are racist, prejudiced and lie to cover for our own. SIN is the reason we riot, loot and burn. BUT I’M ENCOURAGED because God has provided a solution for sin through his son Jesus. … The cure for the Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner tragedies is not education or exposure. It’s the gospel.”

For Watson’s complete comment on Ferguson and other writings, please go to wng.org/watson_writings.