♪ Ah yeah ♪

♪ I'm always ready when it's game time ♪

♪ Hustle in my blood, I'mma make mines ♪

♪ The way I'm trying togo, it's gonna take time ♪

♪ You get none of yourrespect, I'm gonna take mine ♪

♪ In a lane of my own, I'm in the zone ♪

- Hello and welcome to thisedition of Going the Distance

where we talk faith, sportsand everything in between.

You know, most kids dream of playing for

their favorite sports teamand some, a small few,

actually make it.

New York Mets PitcherSteven Matz is one of them,

but achieving his dream didn'tcome without its setbacks.

After an arm injury put himon the bench for two years,

he began questioning hispurpose and it wasn't until

he reconnected with hisfaith that things began

to snap back into place.

Take a look.

- [Commentator] He hitsthis one to center field.

Hamilton going back.

It's turned around and it's over his head!

Two runs will score.

Steven Matz with a doubledrives home the pair.

- [Shawn] New York Mets'pitcher Steven Matz

is living his childhood dream.

First, he's playing Major League Baseball;

secondly, his family has been Mets fans

as long as he can remember.

- It's really cool.

You know, now that I'm kind of here

and you're kind of entrenchedin what you're doing

so you're, the fan side of it's out.

But for my family it's huge.

You know, just being a local guy,

they get to read the papers,

they read about me in the papers

and that's something that'sreally cool for them,

- [Shawn] Steven grewup in a Christian home

and confessed his faithin Christ as a boy.

He says making it into themajors is an answer to prayer.

- [Commentator] Strike three!

- I remember when I was growing up

I prayed for like three things every day.

And it was, please let nobad guys come into my house,

it was please let me date this girl,

it was actually 4 things.

Please let me become amajor league baseball player

and please let me get this dog I wanted.

And everything came trueso it's kinda funny.

- [Shawn] But as he got older,

he was more interested in playing baseball

than getting to know God.

- It wasn't a relationship;it was more of like you know,

it was something that Icouldn't get in contact with.

It was okay, you be a goodperson or whatever it is

and you'll be fine.

- [Shawn] Meanwhile,Steven was drafted in 2009

out of high school and putin the instructional league,

the stage before the minors.

But before he got a chance to pitch

in his first professional game,

he tore a tendon in his arm

during practice and underwent surgery.

Steven was unable to pitch for two years.

He began to question ifhe still had the ability

to achieve his dream.

- You know, with all thoseexpectations and stuff,

there's just so much doubtthat creeps into your head.

You know, can I get healthy?

Can, when I get healthy,can I get the guys out,

you know, professional hitters out?

So there was just a lot thatwas going on at the time.

- [Shawn] Steven was at an all time low

and didn't know how to pull himself up.

But an invitation he receivedchanged his perspective.

- Someone invited me to a Bible study.

And in that Bible study I'd heard, really,

the Gospel for the firsttime, just plain and simple.

- [Shawn] With a betterunderstanding of the gospel,

Steven began building hisrelationship with the Lord.

And he says this was God's plan all along.

- It took me two years to come back.

That second year was the yearI was able to do Bible study.

So, you know, He used that time

and he prepared my heart for that time

to attend that Bible study

and she showed me a great church to go to

that same Bible studyteacher, so it was awesome.

- [Shawn] With a newrelationship with Christ,

Steven says his goals had changed.

- And I just remember my mindset

was just completely different.

You know, my identity'snot in baseball anymore,

where back then my identity was baseball.

My identity is in Jesusnow and understanding

what that's all about andjust using this as a platform.

- [Shawn] Steven threw hisfirst pitch as a pro in 2012.

Three seasons later, hewas finally called up

to join the New York Mets in June 2015

where he helped them becomenational league champions

and make it to the 2015 World Series.

- You know, it was cool to get called up

and be able to pitch at home.

You know, I believe that Goddidn't take me through all that

to end it right there.

You know, He brought me back

and I was able to pitch inthe World Series that year.

- Now Steven is a Major League veteran

who understands that evenin a game where you can fail

more than you succeed,what's important to remember

is that through all the physical

and mental stress of baseball,identity and strength

can be found through arelationship with Jesus Christ.

When people see Steven Matz on the mound,

what is it that you want them to see?

- I just want them tosee a fierce competitor.

I want them to know I'ma Christian by the works

that I do off the field.

And not by so much onhow I speak or whatever,

but just by the way I act.

- Well I've heard it said

that a setback is a setup for a comeback.

Isn't it amazing how God does that?

Sometimes He hits the pause button for us

so that we can pull thingsback into perspective.

Well coming up, meet a guy

in the Baltimore Ravens Organization

that doesn't walk or speak,

but can still motivate a crowd after this.

(energetic music)

Well welcome back.

Many say he's the most influential member

of the Baltimore Ravens Organization.

OJ Brigance was diagnosed with ALS

just after retiring from the NFL.

Since then, he has defied the odds.

Take a look.

This is OJ Brigance.

He can't walk, talk,or breathe on his own.

And yet, as the BaltimoreRavens' Senior Advisor

to Player Development,

he is one of the most influential people

in the Ravens organization.

In 2007 OJ was diagnosed with ALS,

commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

It destroys the neurons in the brain

that control motor function.

But that never stopped OJ.

Before ALS, OJ was a warrioron the gridiron for 13 years.

By communicating through his computer,

he spoke about hisfascination with the game.

- [Computer] I learned to love the game

of football at an early age.

I used to watch itobsessively and was thrilled

when I got the chance toplay in Little League.

The sport gave me greaterconfidence and discipline.

Besides that, with a name liked OJ

at the pinnacle of the other OJ's success,

it was probably fate thatI would play the game.

- [Shawn] OJ's parents raised him

with strong Christian values.

But he didn't fullyaccept Christ for himself

until his second year at Rice University.

- [Computer] The church motherat Brentwood Baptist Church

cornered me one day after services.

She was known forwinning souls for Christ.

She asked me to commit my life to Christ,

and I did so that day.

- After spending four years at Rice,

OJ's dream of playing profootball was shattered.

You're watching the NFLdraft, your name's not called.

What are your thoughts?

- [Computer] I was disappointedwhen I didn't get drafted.

Deep down in my spirit I knew that

I could play professionally.

I just needed the opportunity.

- [Shawn] Even though theNFL showed no interest,

the Canadian football league did.

OJ would spend the nextfive years in the CFL

making a name for himself.

He even helped the BaltimoreStallions win a championship,

The Grey Cup.

NFL scouts started to takenotice but still, no offers.

Then Chanda suggested hecall the teams himself.

What prompted you to tell him that?

- The Holy Spirit did.

I mean, that's the only placeit could have come from.

Because when I began to understand

that this is what he needed to do,

to share this with him and tell him,

and encourage him to goahead, this was his time.

- [Shawn] Well, she was right.

OJ started calling teams

and finally signed withthe Miami Dolphins.

After four seasons, OJ landedwith the Baltimore Ravens

where he helped the teamwin Super Bowl XXXV,

a feat that made him the only player

to win a Super Bowl and aGrey Cup for the same city.

After a stint with the St. Louis Rams

and the New England Patriots,

OJ retired from football in 2002.

Five years later, he receivednews that he had ALS.

Were you angry?

How did you feel?

- [Computer] I wasn't angry because

I didn't fully grasp theweight of everything.

When I did realize there was no cure,

I broke down and cried.

After I dried my tears,I received the revelation

that God was still hereand had us in His hands.

- What has your faith in the Lord

meant to you throughout this journey?

- Our faith in Jesus Christ has allowed us

to achieve a higher perspectiveof our circumstances.

Proverbs 24:10 says, if youfaint in the day of adversity,

your strength is small.

To stand in the midst of this adversity,

we have been in training

under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Life has prepared us for thismoment, and if it weren't so,

God would have never allowed it to happen.

- [Shawn] OJ is still a warriorwith the heart of a lion.

Even though he can't talk,he still has a voice,

through speeches, workingwith his foundation

the Brigance Brigade, and writing.

He even authored a bookentitled Strength of a Champion.

So as long as his heart beats,

OJ will continue to inspire his team

and everyone around him.

- He says that I'm strength for him.

He's strength for me becauseI still depend on him.

I still need him.

He's taught me so much.

We have really have connectedspiritually, emotionally,

and that is what keeps us strong.

This is a voyage of three, not just two,

and as long as we have God in the center,

everything around it will come together.

- [Shawn] People withALS are usually given

three to five years to live.

OJ is in year 12, andthe battle continues.

- God has only given usa finite amount of time

to complete our assignment,

and there will always be stumbling blocks.

The key is to recognizethose stumbling blocks

as opportunities forgrowth and advancement,

not as a deterrence or hindrance.

I believe my legacy is I trusted God

and made the most of what Heentrusted to me while I had it.

I hope my life has been atestimonial that with God,

all things are possible.

There is still more to be done in me,

but I thank Jesus I amstill in the process.

- That was perhaps one ofthe most profound interviews

I have ever had the privilege to do.

I mean OJ is amazing and you can see why

he's so influential.

He hasn't allowed AlS torestrict his impact on the world.

I mean I'm looking at himand then looking at myself

like Shawn, you need to do more.

And what's even more incredible

is that it starts at home.

His wife Chanda said itall when she said that

she still needs and depends on him.

I mean wow, incredible.

Well coming up, he wasa man driven by anger

since the age of seven.

Now, he's driven by love.

After this.

Welcome back.

NFL Safety Shamarko Thomas is arguably

one of the hardest workingplayers in the League.

I'm sure you're familiarwith the term gym rat.

Well there's gym rats andthen there's Shamarko Thomas.

Many ask why he works so hard.

Well his answer was asimple one: derived from

a troubled childhood thatwas fueled with anger.

NFL Safety Shamarko Thomashas built a reputation

for himself as an aggressive,

hard hitting player with a work ethic

that many would argue is second to none.

His "go out and get after it attitude

is one that he acquired growing up

in Virginia Beach, Virginia

with his mom and five siblings.

Describe what your mom was like.

How do you remember your mother?

- She was the ultimate leader.

She was my father and my mom.

My mom was different.

She wasn't the mom thatoh, I love you type.

She was that tough mom, oh,boy, you'd better get up.

No crying-type stuff.

- [Shawn] Shamarko's mother Ebeth

gave birth to him when she was 15.

He didn't really know his father.

Growing up he saw things nochild should have to witness.

- My mom had boyfriends that, I remember,

we used to hide out from them,stuff like that, you know.

I seen my mom get burnt byan iron by an iron by a dude.

- [Shawn] Shamarko didn'ttrust men around his mother.

So when she married Abdul "Rahim" Shabazz,

he didn't like him.

But over time, they slowly began to bond.

- I think football brung us together,

and just seeing the way he treated my mom,

taking her out on datesand stuff like that.

I never seen that before with another man.

- [Shawn] The familygrew with the addition

of his sister and four brothers.

For him, life couldn't be better

until his father violatedhis mother's trust.

- He broke her heart, youknow, cheated on my mom.

- Did they separate?

- My dad separated, yeah.

He moved with the lady.

- [Shawn] The first manShamarko had ever trusted

left his mother with six children

to raise by herself and he was furious.

- My mom working at McDonald'sand stuff, you know,

so I think that all the angerinside of me just built up

and I just started hanging around

with the wrong crowd anddoing the wrong things.

Honestly, I was telling my mom,

Oh, I'm going to sell drugs,

I'm going to do stuff like that.

- [Shawn] As he enteredOcean Lakes High School

as a freshman football player,

his mother was too busy with work

to help keep him out of trouble.

So he always seemed to find it.

- I was out there justtrying to have fun, enjoy

and chill with my friends and fight.

- And fight, you just wanted to fight?

- Fight, man.

Used to fight all the time, every day.

- Why?

- Just to get my anger out, you know.

- [Shawn] His activitiesgrabbed the attention

of school faculty membersJim Prince and Chris Scott,

Shamarko's football coaches,as well as Leslie Riccio,

his guidance counselor, andsergeant Adam Bernstein,

the school's resource officer.

They all intervened to helphim deal with his anger

and the reasons behind it.

- Instantly I was drawnto him and I thought,

this kid is gonna be myproject for this year.

I wanted to make him feelcomfortable and kind of reward him

for feeling comfortable withme without even knowing me.

- He would never let you in.

But when he knew that you cared,

then that's where thingsstarted to reveal themselves.

- [Shawn] During that year,Shamarko had a few encounters

with Sergeant Adam Bernstein.

But one day after school,

he caught Shamarko in a street brawl.

The next day, he calledhim down to his office.

- I sat him down and I said,

there's a lot of colleges out there

that will give you a freeeducation if you use football

and if you're good enough.

- And he was like, I care about you

and I want to see you succeed.

I felt like somebody really cared,

especially an officer, you know?

Where I'm coming from, youknow, officers don't like us.

- Now I read somewhere

that both of you brokedown and started crying.

Is that true?

- Yeah, I didn't want to say that.

- [Shawn] Those wordshit home for Shamarko.

By his senior year, hewas an honor roll student,

was elected homecomingking and set school records

for tackles, interceptions,and defensive touchdowns.

He accepted a scholarship offer

to play football for Syracuse University.

- Sitting there signing that paper

and veering to the left andseeing my mom cry with joy.

You know, that's the first time

I seen her cry of joy instead of pain.

And that just changed my whole life.

- When Shamarko arrived at Syracuse,

he quickly built a reputation

for his hard hitting style of play.

But the Spring of 2010 ushered in a season

that would crush him harder than any hit

he ever delivered on the field,

and it began with a call hereceived from his mother.

- My mom's like your dad's dead.

She's crying on the phone.

I just started crying.

I hang up the phone.

I'm like man, he's gonenow and I can't even say

like I forgive you, you know?

We all make mistakes in life.

- [Shawn] Shemarker'sstepfather was killed

in a motorcycle accident.

After his funeral, he returned to school.

Though he was grieving, the pain he felt

over his stepfatherwould pale in comparison

to what was about to comejust nine months later.

- My mom called me.

She was just checking on me,like on some regular stuff.

I'm trying to go party.

She was like, I just wantto tell you, I love you

and you my chosen one, you know.

And if anything happened to me, you know,

I know, I just want youto live out your dreams.

And I'm like, I'm just throwingit off like, okay, mom,

you know, I got you.

- [Shawn] The next day Shamarko

received a voicemailfrom his younger brother.

- He's like, momma gone.

And man, I lost it.

- [Shawn] Shamarko's mother died

from a massive heart attack.

He returned home as quick as he could

to be strong for his five siblings.

He managed to do so until hewent to view his mother's body.

- It was only two seconds.

I couldn't stay in that room.

I couldn't stay in that room.

Man, that's my best friend, like.

- Why couldn't you?

- Hm?- Why couldn't you?

- 'Cause everything I did was for her.

You know, and just to seeher laying in that casket

not breathing no more, it waslike, what do I have left?

I couldn't see her like that.

I couldn't, I couldn't at all.

I thought my life was over.

What's the point of me living?

My mom's not here.

I want my mom to have her house.

A big house, a car, like,

like this jewelry, all this stuff.

This don't mean nothing to me,

it don't mean nothing to me.

I'd rather have my mom here, so.

Seeing her in that casket,

it was the most painfulfeeling in the world.

- [Shawn] After the funeral,

Shamarko considered givingup school and football

to take care of his siblings.

But Mrs. Riccio convinced him otherwise.

- And I always said to himand I still to this day

say to him is what yourmom would want you to do?

And he thinks for a minuteand he stops himself

and he's like she wouldnot want me to quit school.

- At that moment, when she told me that,

there was nothing else to say.

There was nothing else to say.

I was gonna get my buttback on that flight

- [Shawn] His grandmotheragreed to take care

of his siblings so thathe return to school.

When he got there, hebegan looking for something

to ease the pain in his heart.

So he turned to some ofhis Christian teammates.

- One day I just startedgetting interested in it.

I just started watching.

I'm like, man, I'm gonna gosit in here and listen to them

and talk about God and stuff.

And then I started hearingthe solutions and my answers,

and people, as they was talking,

that's when I realized I reallyhad to find out who God was.

Like, can I believe in you?

'Cause, ain't goinglie, I started doubting.

When my mom passed, I'm like,man, God don't love me at all.

He can't love me, He can't love me.

He put me through all of this?

- [Shawn] Shamarkolearned that the only way

to truly heal the pain in his heart

was through a relationship with god.

So one night he began praying

and committed his life to Jesus Christ.

- I'm like, God, whatever is your plan is

and whatever you gotplanned for me, show me.

Can I see?

I said let your will,your will be upon me.

- [Shawn] Shamarko knew thathe could lean on the Lord

for strength as he continuedto achieve his NFL dreams.

And he worked harder than ever.

- [Shamarko] That was mymindset from that point on.

Nobody's gonna outwork me.

Y'all thought I worked hard then.

Y'all gonna see now.

I promise you nobody outwork me.

Nobody.

- [Shawn] He had a stellarsenior year at Syracuse,

becoming one of the top safetiesentering the 2013 NFL Draft

where he was selected bythe Pittsburgh Steelers.

And of course, Ms. Leslie, Coach Scott

and Sergeant Bernstein werethere to hear his name called.

- We all cried and it wasa truly truly special day

to know that all of his hardwork had finally paid off.

- To say how proud I am, itcannot be put into words,

but just tremendously thankful for him

being an inspiration to us all.

- I feel like I was a small part of it

because I feel like he'salways had it within him

to be that.

He just needed somebodyto show him that he could.

- [Shawn] Today, Shamarkois with the Denver Broncos.

He's married and has kids of his own,

and his work ethic hasn't changed.

As he reflects back overall he had to endure,

he knows that his motherwould be proud of him,

and that God's love never fails.

- I know every step I take,God's taking a step with me

and I am God's soldier.

So the faith is everything for me.

And I could promise you that.

That would never change nomatter how many days I doubt

or how many days I cry or be in pain

or what I go through,

I know God is there right beside me.

- I know every step I take,God's taking steps with me.

Shamarko Thomas.

You see, it doesn't matterwhat you've been through

or how hard the struggle is.

God will walk with you.

Just trust Him.

Shamarko lost a lot, buthe learned that regardless

of all he's lost, God stillhad a purpose for his life.

In the book of James 1:2-4,

it reads, consider it purejoy, my brothers and sisters,

whenever you face trials of many kinds

because you know that the testing

of your faith produces perseverance.

Verse four, letperseverance finish its work

so that you may be mature and complete,

not lacking anything.

In other words, look yourstruggle right in the face

and embrace it and I knowit's hard for some of us,

but we've got to do it because in the end,

we'll be mature and complete,not lacking anything.

We'll be right back after this.

Well I wanna thank youfor joining us today

and I hope to see younext week and remember,

it doesn't rememberwhat struggles you face.

Just believe in yourself andwhat God can do through you

because in the end, life is short.

Go the distance.