In the NFL, brotherhood is often forged in the heat of battle. For two Carolina Panthers, it was solidified through a shared declaration of faith. Former Texas Longhorns running back Jonathon Brooks and former Florida Gators linebacker Princely Umanmielen both got baptized on Sunday.

A beat writer for the Carolina Panthers posted pictures of the two players getting baptized, with Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard gracing the occasion to support his teammates. “The team that prays together, stays together,” Sheena Quick said in her post. 

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Umanmielen has stayed connected to his faith despite moving away from his home early in life. Before his move to the NFL in 2025, he played his last season in college for the Ole Miss Rebels, where he appeared in 12 games and totaled 37 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 13.5 tackles-for-loss, and one forced fumble. This was after spending four seasons with the Gators, playing in 45 games and starting 24. He notched 99 total tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 15.0 sacks and three forced fumbles.

After being drafted by the Panthers with the 77th overall pick, the linebacker famously chose #3 for his jersey. And when explaining his choice, he claimed it was a symbol of the trinity: ‘God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.’

After making his first sack in the NFL in the Panthers’ Week 2 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, the first thought that rang through his head was to do something religious before doing the crown celebration as a connection to his royal heritage.

“First, I just prayed and thanked God, and then I just got up and put a little crown on my head,” Umanmielen explained. He went on to finish the season with 13 solo tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one forced fumble.

However, it is quite a different story for Jonathon Brooks, who has barely spent time on the gridiron due to injuries. The last time Brooks thoroughly enjoyed his football was with the Longhorns. In his final season in college, he had 187 carries for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns and 25 receptions for 286 yards and a receiving touchdown.

Since his NFL debut in 2024, he has only had 9 rushing attempts for 22 yards and 3 receptions for 23 yards. Brooks couldn’t start in his rookie season because he was recovering from a torn ACL he had sustained in college. He eventually made his debut in November 2024. But in Week 14 against the Philadelphia Eagles, he suffered a season-ending non-contact injury that has kept him out of action ever since.

Despite his injury crisis, Brooks has never been unvocal about the influence of his faith amid his injury battles.

Jonathon Brooks’ faith helps him as he recovers from injury

Brooks was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list ahead of the 2025 season and made no appearance. As he discussed his recovery from injury, Brooks explained how his faith has played a major role in keeping him stable and hopeful for an amazing career after his injuries.

“I know that God has a plan for me,” Brooks said in an interview on the Panthers’ official YouTube channel. “He makes no mistakes, and he is using my story to show the world the amazing things he can do. I’m set on that. I firmly believe in God and that he has a plan set for me.

“I never lose focus on what the main goal is. I’m pretty excited about this group. I’m pretty excited about what we did this year, and I’m super proud of the guys on the staff,” he added.

Both players have different stories that reflect how faith is not just a journey people embrace when things are going well, but one they also hold on to in trying times. Brooks is recovering pretty well and is expected to participate in off-season workouts and a June minicamp.