I JUST WON THE HEISMAN

TROPHY, THE FIRST ROUND PICK

BY THE L.A. RAIDERS, AND I

HAVE A CONTRACT WORTH

MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, AND I

FOUND MYSELF AT A PLACE

WHERE I COULD NOT LOOK AT

MYSELF IN THE MIRROR.

Reporter: TIM BROWN IS

KNOWN AS ONE OF THE GREATEST

NFL WIDE RECEIVERS.

BUT WHEN HE WAS YOUNG, HE

HAD A DIFFERENT DREAM.

I THOUGHT I WOULD BE A

PREACHER AS A CHILD.

I CERTAINLY LOVED CHURCH AND

THE PRAISES AND ALL OF THAT

WENT ALONG WITH CHURCH.

Reporter: BUT THAT SOON

CHANGED.

AT 12, 13 YEARS OLD, I

HAD THE ABILITY TO OUTRUN

PEOPLE.

THEY COULDN'T TOUCH ME.

I KNEW I WAS DIFFERENT ON

THE FOOTBALL FIELD AND I HAD

A TALENT.

Reporter: HIS TALENT

EARNED HIM A FULL

SCHOLARSHIP TO NOTRE DAME.

AND THAT'S WHERE HE MET HIS

COACH.

HE SAW SOMETHING IN ME I

DIDN'T SEE IN MYSELF.

HE TOLD ME I COULD BE THE

BEST PLAYER IN THE COUNTRY.

EVERY DAY FOR TWO WEEKS, HE

SHOWED ME WHAT I WAS DOING

ON THE FIELD.

AFTER A COUPLE OF WEEKS, I

STARTED TO BELIEVE IT.

IT'S AMAZING, THAT THE

POSITIVE REENFORCEMENT YOU

CAN GET FROM SOMEBODY CAN

DRIVE YOU TO BE A HEISMAN

TROPHY WINNER.

Reporter: HE SOUGHT

ADVICE FROM HIS PASTOR

BEFORE HEADING OFF TO

TRAINING CAMP.

I'M 21 YEARS OLD, AND

THINGS ARE ROLLING FOR ME.

I'M SAYING, GOD LOVES YOU.

HE UNDERSTANDS, AND GO ENJOY

YOURSELF -- THAT'S WHAT I

EXPECTED.

INSTEAD, HE SAYS, GOD HAS

YOU HERE FOR A PURPOSE.

HE IS GIVING YOU THIS

PLATFORM FOR A REASON.

HE WANTS YOU TO BE ABLE TO

BRING MAN TO GOD.

IT WAS, LIKE, REALLY?

Reporter: BUT TIM HAD

OTHER THINGS IN MIND.

I HAD SUCH A DEVILISH

MIND AT THAT TIME WHEN IT

CAME TO WOMEN.

IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN SLOW

OR FAST, BUT IT WAS

EVENTUALLY GOING TO HAPPEN.

THERE WAS ABOUT A YEAR AND A

HALF, BETWEEN THE TIME YOU I

WAS 23, 24, THAT WHEN IT

CAME TO WOMEN, I WAS OUT OF

CONTROL.

I COULD NOT LOOK AT THE MAN

IN THE MIRROR.

I HAD THIS ENORMOUS MIRROR

ACROSS THE BATHROOM.

AND THE LIGHTBULBS WENT OUT

ONE TIME, AND I WOULDN'T

REPLACE THE LIGHTBULBS

BECAUSE THAT MADE IT

COMFORTING TO ME.

IT WAS BETTER FOR ME TO BE

ABLE TO WALK BY AND NOT BE

ABLE TO SEE MYSELF THAN TO

LOOK AT MYSELF IN THE

MIRROR.

Reporter: ON THE FIELD,

TIM BROWN WAS A STAR, BUT HE

KNEW SOMETHING WAS MISSING.

I WAS THINKING, I'M

COMING TO THE END OF MY

CAREER.

I GETTING CLOSE TO 30, AND

NFL PLAYERS DON'T PLAY MUCH

LONGER AFTER 30.

I KNEW THAT ALL OF THIS I

WAS FEELING ABOUT GOD AND MY

LIFE AND HOW I SHOULD LIVE

IT WAS JUST RISING UP MORE

AND MORE AND MORE AND MORE.

Reporter: FINALLY TIM

HAD HAD ENOUGH.

HE COULDN'T KEEP LIVING WITH

THE SHAME HE FELT.

HE NEEDED TO CONFRONT THE

MAN IN THE MIRROR.

AT 26, IN 1976, I WAS AT

MY MOM'S HOUSE, AND I ROLLED

OUT OF BED AND GOT ON MY

KNEES AND SAID, LORD, I

CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE.

YOU KNOW THE SITUATION I'M

IN.

YOU KNOW THESE WOMEN.

I NEED FOR YOU TO BE WITH

ME.

BECAUSE IF I DO THIS, I NEED

TO BE A SHINING LIGHT.

IT WAS JUST AMAZING,

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.

HOW LIGHT I FELT ON THE

INSIDE, AND HOW MUCH BETTER

I FELT ABOUT THE MAN THAT I

WAS.

I WAS REALLY AFRAID OF THAT

WHEN I FIRST GOT SAVED, THAT

IT WAS GOING TO BE AN ISSUE

WITH MY PLAYS.

I WOULDN'T BE AS FOCUSED ON

THE GAME BECAUSE I HADN'T

CURSED ANYBODY OUT.

BUT GOD IS BIGGER THAN ALL

OF THAT.

THAT WAS THE BEST SEASON I

HAD EVER HAD IN MY CAREER.

I MEET CHARISSE, MY WIFE,

TWO WEEKS AFTER THAT NIGHT.

AND THREE WEEKS AFTER

MEETING HER, I KNEW I WAS

GOING TO ASK HER TO MARRY

ME.

WE DECIDED TO OBTAI ABSTAIN

FROM ALL OF THAT STUFF THAT

I HAD BEEN DOING PREVIOUS TO

MEETING HER, WHICH WAS VERY

DIFFICULT FOR ME INITIALLY.

IT WAS TOUGH, MAN, BUT AT

THE SAME POINT, WE KNEW WE

WERE DOING THE RIGHT THING.

Reporter: TIM

REMEMBERED HIS PASTOR'S

WORDS, AND OVER THE YEARS HE

DISCOVERED HIS TRUE PURPOSE

IN THE NFL.

AS A TEAM LEADER, PEOPLE

LOOK FOR YOU TO DO CERTAIN

THINGS.

AND I INITIALLY WAS TELLING

MY GUYS, I'M NOT DOING THIS

OR DOING THAT, AND THEY

WERE, LIKE, WE'VE HEARD THIS

BEFORE.

AND IT TOOK A YEAR OR SO

BEFORE PEOPLE REALIZED I

REALLY CHANGED.

WHEN I GOT 34, 35, 36, 37,

38 IN THE NFL, AND NOW ALL

OF THESE YOUNG GUYS ARE

COMING IN, AND I AM TELLING

THEM HOW I USED TO CURSE

COACHES OUT AND CURSE

PLAYERS OUT, AND PEOPLE

CAN'T BELIEVE IT.

BUT THEN I'M ABLE TO SAY,

JUST LIKE GOD SAVED ME IN

THOSE DAYS, HE CAN SAVE YOU

IN WHATEVER YOUR GOING

THROUGH.

WHATEVER YOUR GOING THROUGH

IS NOT BIGGER THAN GOD.

IF YOU TURN IT OVER TO HIM,

HE WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

I COULDN'T HAVE PLANNED

THAT.