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Character, Integrity, Leadership: NFL QB Kirk Cousins to Receive 2023 Bart Starr Award at Super Bowl Breakfast

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Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Kirk Cousins will receive the 2023 Bart Starr Award at this year's Super Bowl Breakfast to be held Sunday, Feb. 11 at the Desert Ridge Marriott Resort in Phoenix, Arizona. 

The Bart Starr Award honors Starr's lifelong commitment to serving as a positive role model to his family, teammates, and community. The award is given annually to an NFL player who best exemplifies character, integrity, and leadership on and off the field.

Cousins has been an outspoken Christian throughout his NFL career. He has five words posted on his website:  Faith, Family, Football, Generosity, Leadership.

Also included is a quote from Proverbs 3:5-6 from the Bible's Old Testament. 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

In the past, Cousins has talked about just how important it is to let the Holy Spirit guide his life decisions. 

"I learned He's decisive and the Holy Spirit is never confused. So if there's disagreement, the problem is probably on our end, not on His. He's always spoken to me through His peace. We have the benefit of other experiences where we've trusted Him. So here we are again, making that decision to come here and believing God is in it!" Cousins once told CBN.  "I think at times where I fail as a leader is probably when I haven't allowed the Holy Spirit to lead and when I do allow the Holy Spirit to handle it – I think that's when I'm most successful as a leader."

Cousins and his wife launched the Julie & Kirk Cousins Foundation in October 2018 in order to build on their faith through impactful philanthropy. The foundation has provided support to numerous outlets including Bethany Christian Services, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Compassionate Heart Ministries, Discovery Church, Holland Christian Schools, and International Justice Mission.

Cousins and his wife Julie have two sons – Cooper and Turner.

Promoted Bible Reading

Cousins has also promoted reading the Bible to his fans. In 2020, he announced that he concluded reading through the entire Bible, urging others to complete the same challenge. 

"It took me over two years, but just finished reading through the entire Bible for the first time. Def recommend it!" he tweeted along with a photo of his Bible. 

The Impact of Fatherhood

The NFL quarterback also told CBN in 2019 about the impact of being a father and how his parents taught him to be a good father.

"I was fortunate to have a dad who was very involved, very present, very wise. Just about every experience we had through the years my dad would bring back to our faith walk and our faith journey," Cousins said. "So it was pretty hard to go a day or a week and not go through something without scripture being accompanied to it so it would be a great thing if I parented close to the way my mom and dad raised me."

He said the most powerful instruction his father gave him "was based out of Galatians 6:7, 'do not be deceived God is not mocked, a man reaps what he sows'. When you make good decisions, good things happen. When you make bad decisions, bad things happen. And it was so simple."

"You know, the decisions you make are going to become the life that you live," Cousins continued. "What do you want those consequences to be? And so walking with God, obeying God, understanding what His word says, and applying it to your life became so important."

The Bart Starr Award Special will air on CBS stations on Saturday, Feb. 18, and Sunday, Feb. 19. For a list of stations airing the special, click here

The event features Peyton and Eli Manning, Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy, the incredible story of Damar Hamlin and the Buffalo Bills, and the presentation of the 2023 Bart Starr Award to Cousins.

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of