anchored to something steadfast that
gave them hope and peace amidst the
unpredictable swells of NFL life. Ertz
was intrigued—and envious.
“No matter what season they were
going through, they still had that Christ-
centered life, whereas I would be like a
roller-coaster,” he says. “I’d be going
up; I’d be going down. Most of the time,
it went as football went. If football was
going well, I was in a great mood. If
football was going poorly, then I was
down in the dumps.”
By the 2016 season, when the Eagles
struggled to a 7–9 finish, things had
reached a breaking point for Ertz. The
tight end missed two games early in
the season with a displaced rib. Then,
in an ugly Week 13 loss to Cincinnati,
he missed a routine block downfield
as Wentz scrambled out of the pocket.
Reporters and fans alike pilloried Ertz
online.
“Football was the one thing I was like,
‘Man, that’s mine. I’m going to take
control of that. I do this. I work hard so
I can do well,’” Ertz says. “At that point,
I was like, ‘I’m surrendering all to God,’
and it was really freeing.”
That offseason, Ertz got baptized.
A day later, on March 26, 2017, he
married Julie Johnston, a defender on
Solutions • 53