Putting his best feet forward

There are a number of arguably—if not actually—oppressed groups in the United States and elsewhere whose plights leftist-controlled mainstream media outlets eagerly highlight.

Unsurprisingly, Christians aren’t among them. Violence against Christians is ignored.

TreVeyon Henderson, however, isn’t giving the television networks that broadcast New England Patriots games much of a choice. The rookie running back is using the National Football League’s “My Cause, My Cleats” initiative, which lets players use their league-provided platform to promote causes they care about via their on-field footwear, to advocate against Christian persecution worldwide.

“When you read the Bible and you look at what Jesus teaches us and what He warns us about—the persecution we will face for following Him—you don’t see too much of that,” Henderson said in a video for Global Christian Relief. “There’s a lot of it going on, but there’s not a lot of awareness about it.”

Surrounding the tops of Henderson’s mostly white shoes is red paint resembling dripping blood. That depiction serves a twofold purpose, Henderson said: It represents both the blood Christ shed on the cross and that shed in various parts of the world by Christians who refused to renounce their faith.

Henderson’s shoes also feature a map of the world. The countries covered by spatters of faux blood appear to be the hotspots where anti-Christian persecution is strongest.

Sadly, the red-covered countries include a wide swath of the world stretching from the western coast of Africa across southern Asia to the eastern seaboard of the world’s largest continent. Also drenched in red are much of Central America and northern South America.

Not covered is the United States, where comparatively—as Henderson himself points out—we have it pretty good. Sure, we sometimes face mockery and contempt for our beliefs and values. Religious discrimination in certain workplaces and even from some government entities is, unfortunately, not a thing of the past despite constitutional and legal protections against such discrimination. And yes, certain individuals consumed by hatred have perpetrated violence against Christians in churches and schools—not to mention against Charlie Kirk—on our soil.

But at least we’re not collectively being rounded up and imprisoned, much less executed.

On the heels of Henderson’s shoes is a Bible verse—Matthew 5:10: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” On the parts covering his toes is Global Christian Relief’s name. The organization formerly known as Open Doors USA provides emergency relief, long-term support, Bibles, and income assistance to persecuted Christians around the world, according to its website.

Henderson has particularly tried to call attention to the ongoing massacre of Christians in Nigeria. More than 30 Nigerian Christians in the African nation were slaughtered daily in the first seven months of 2025 alone.

So dangerous is it for Christians in Nigeria that left-leaning comedian Bill Maher—who is notoriously anti-religion—has condemned his mainstream media colleagues for not reporting on it extensively, if at all.

“If you don’t know what’s going on in Nigeria, your media sources suck,” Maher said on his cable-TV show, Real Time, earlier this year.

“I’m not a Christian, but they’re systematically killing the Christians in Nigeria,” he continued. “They’ve killed over 100,000 since 2009. They’ve burned 18,000 churches. … This is so much more of a genocide attempt than what is going on in Gaza. They are literally attempting to wipe out the Christian population of an entire country.

“Where are the kids protesting this?”

OutKick columnist John Simmons, who is a Christian, concurred.

“This should be easy fodder for the media, since they obviously care about genocide,” Simmons wrote. “Just look at how fervently they cover the ‘genocide’ against transgender youths and black men dying at the hands of police officers!

“But they’ve said hardly a peep here—likely because this crisis doesn’t align with progressive priorities.”

One might wonder how effective Henderson’s shoes will be in raising awareness. After all, it’s not like TV cameras will constantly show close-ups of his cleats, nor will broadcasters repeatedly remind viewers of their purpose. And whenever a network trains its cameras on the running back as he carries the ball, his feet will typically be a mostly white blur as his churning legs propel him toward the end zone for a touchdown.

It helps that Henderson plays one of football’s most spotlight-commanding positions—and that he’s made the Patriots winners again after they missed the playoffs four of the past five seasons. The second-round draft pick out of Ohio State University ranks second among NFL rookies in rushing TDs (five), third in rushing yards (625), and fifth in carries (129). His efforts had helped New England post an NFL-best 11-2 record and positioned the Patriots to win their division for the first time since quarterback Tom Brady won his sixth Super Bowl with the team back in 2019.

Still, Henderson deserves praise simply for taking a public stand that even many fellow Christians in the NFL haven’t taken. He says he’s emboldened by the examples persecuted Christians in other countries have set. Will he inspire fellow believers in the league to do likewise?