Incredible. Thatâs really the only way to describe Penn State wrestler Aaron Brooksâ post-match interview after he secured his third consecutive national title.
In a weekend full of surprises and viral moments from the NCAA wrestling championships, it may very well be Brooksâ remarks that stole the show.
Brooks, fresh off a 7-2 victory in the 184-pound finals and still out of breath, spoke to ESPN after his win and attributed everything â his win, his strength, his agility â to Jesus Christ.
âHow does help you on a night like tonight,â the ESPN interviewer asked Brooks.
âItâs everything,â Brooks responded. âChristâs resurrection is everything. Not just His life, but His death and resurrection. You can only get that through Him, the Holy Spirit, only through Him. No false prophets, no Muhammad, no anyone else.
âOnly Jesus Christ Himself.â
The ESPN interviewer, clearly a bit shaken by the impromptu gospel that Brooks was sharing on national television, tried to pivot the conversation back to wrestling, but Brooks wasnât having it.
âPower and finesse, your calling cardâŚâ the interviewer began. Before he could even finish that thought, Brooks responded.
âThe Holy Spirit.â
As the interviewer stuttered, Brooks just plowed right ahead with said âpower and finesse.â
âActs Chapter 1 Verse 8,â Brooks continued, connecting the Holy Spirit to ESPNâs question about âpower.â
The Bible verse itself reads: âBut you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.â
âHoly Spirit⌠Power⌠Thatâs everything. Thatâs where itâs from,â Brooks said.
The ESPN interviewer, clearly not picking up on Brooksâ messaging, meekly followed up by asking where Brooksâs finesse came from.
âHoly Spirit as well,â Brooks said with a smile and wink.
âMom and dad, maybe?â the interviewer asked.
âLittle bit of both,â Brooks said, playing along slightly. âBut all God.â
âPut in perspective winning three of these in a row, in dominating fashion by the way,â the interviewer said, perhaps aiming to shift the conversation to a more secular topic.
Even then, Brooks stood strong by his message of Faith.
âIâm blessed,â Brooks said. âGod used me. He gives me this platform for this, right here⌠When Iâm suffering cutting weight, away from my family, itâs all for Him, so itâs all for His glory.â
Itâs not just Brooks who you could describe as âblessed.â That description also fits his Penn State Nittany Lions.
Thanks in part to Brooksâ national championship, Penn State easily won (they finished 55 points ahead of second-place Iowa) the whole thing, securing the teamâs 10th national title since the 2009-2010 season, per The Associated Press.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
