Ex-NFL star and football analyst David Pollack is on a mission to inspire kids and families to share hope and truth, revealing how his own path to faith was sparked by curiosity and others’ sacrificial sharing of the Gospel message.

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Pollack, who was a linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals, has a new Brave Books project, “The Won’t Quit Kid,” a book motivated by his quest to teach kids important life values.

“It’s not about performance,” he said, noting that he set out in writing the book to teach kids how to navigate tough circumstances.

Pollack said kids can learn quite a bit about life by weathering life’s storms.

“So much nowadays, you see so much clearing obstacles and hard things out of the way for kids,” he said. “They need that to grow to who God’s gonna make them, to build their character, and strengthen them down the road.”

Pollack also discussed his own path to faith, noting he didn’t grow up Christian but that certain events his senior year of high school helped change his heart and mind. In particular, he was invited to a “lockout” where he and fellow young people stayed inside a church, played sports, and hung out.

That event ended up introducing Pollack to Jesus.

“That was the first time that I’d ever heard [about] Jesus,” he said. “I’m sure there were people that had said stuff, but never really thought about it, heard about it, been in church.”

Pollack also had a physics teacher who had a Jesus sticker and listened to praise and worship music. The then-student would jokingly call him a “Jesus freak.” Over time, the two forged a relationship, which further sparked Pollack’s intrigue.

Between the lockout and his physics teacher, Pollack was intrigued and decided to read the Bible for an English assignment. But his English teacher initially pushed back.

“My English teacher said, ‘No,'” Pollack said. “She said, ‘I don’t know the Bible. I can’t check to make sure you read it.'”

But Pollack suggested his physics teacher — a man who clearly knew the Scriptures well — would help ensure he read the assignment. The teachers agreed, and Pollack found himself exploring the Gospels, the backgrounds of the disciples, and Jesus’ life.

“And man, oh man, was my life forever rocked and changed,” he said. “And I was just like, ‘I want to know more,’ and I started reading more and more, and then I started going to church.”

Pollack continued, “I accepted Christ and had the good fortune of having a coach in college who was living for Jesus.”

Ultimately, Pollack’s faith grew over the years. Like many, he has faced challenges, including a career-ending injury to his neck.

The former NFL player explained how he has handled these oftentimes faith-rocking experiences.

“There’s always the two options, you either run towards God or away from God,” he said. “But I quickly realized that it’s really, really awesome, because I thought I was on this path, and I was going to the NFL, and I was going to Pro Bowls — and this is the way I was gonna go. And then, quickly, it’s a detour and and I break my neck, which is not fun.”

Pollack said his injury put everything into perspective, expressing gratitude for getting to live out his dreams even if they didn’t conclude in the way he had hoped.

“I got to live out my dream — that was my dream since I was six years old … to play in the NFL,” he said. “And did it go the way I wanted to? Absolutely not. And I remember looking at my wife, I was like, ‘I can’t imagine what’s next, babe, because this has been amazing. … I just know that God’s going to provide something else that gets us excited.'”

It was a faith-defining moment that led Pollack deeper into his relationship with the Lord.

“God started to grow me, and I’m a better spouse, I’m a better dad … I wouldn’t have experienced so many of these things that I got to go through, and I’m excited, and I would not change it,” he said. “Those things made me exactly who I am, and I needed those things to wake me up and show me what real faith was, to show me what grace was, to show me what it’s like to deal with really, really hard things.”

Now he’s working to imbue these lessons on kids and families through “The Won’t Quit Kid.” Pollack is hoping to help build resilience and inspire kids to grow in their lives.

I do not share much of my personal life on social media but today is gonna be different. If you are the praying type please lift up my wife Lindsey. She has brain cancer and surgery is Wednesday at Duke. So thankful to serve a loving God that meets us in our struggles!

— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) March 10, 2025

Please also take a moment to pray for Pollack and his wife, Lindsey, as she has been battling brain cancer and has been recovering from surgery.

“If you are the praying type please lift up my wife Lindsey,” he wrote on X back in March. “She has brain cancer and surgery is Wednesday at Duke. So thankful to serve a loving God that meets us in our struggles!”

We’ll leave you with video of Lindsey praising the Lord after her surgery: