Fitzpatrick presented with Bart Starr Award

He showed a vulnerable side during his speech, a side he rarely shows to anyone, but one that he allowed to be seen because of his strong faith.

“First I want to thank Coach Tomlin for all the kind words he said,” said Fitzpatrick. “He’s not always this nice to me, especially if I mess up on the play.

“When I was told that I won this award, it came as a surprise to me. This past year I missed a lot of playing time, I missed seven games, I wasn’t able to finish three. So, I had a lot of time to do a lot of reflecting, a lot of time in isolation, a lot of time in meditation along with God, just sitting at his feet. I’ve always prided myself on the fact that I’m always working on myself. I’m always working on my relationships. I’m always working on being a better man, a better brother, a better son, a better football player. As I was sitting at his feet and just letting him work on me, work on my heart. He revealed a lot to me. He revealed to me that I use this game and my craft at times as an excuse to not fulfill my duties as a brother, to not fulfill my duties as a son. To not be there for my people in my life.

“He also revealed to me that I can fail to be delicate with the beautiful flowers and beautiful people that are placed in my life. This game is not always the most gentle game. It’s not always the most soft-spoken game. Sometimes it’s hard to flip the switch from being a hard-hitting safety to have to be a tender and loving son to a mother who just lost her mother.

“He also revealed to me during that time, that I can fail to empathize with other people. Not because I can’t feel what they feel, or don’t want to, but because in order to empathize with somebody you have to get on their level and go to a place with them that might be uncomfortable for you and for the other person. Sometimes it can be hard for me to be vulnerable with people. Whether it be a teammate, a friend or my little brother, it can be hard for me to do…