Tyreek Hill quotes Bible verse to close out his last media session

Throughout Super Bowl week, players and coaches for each team have to do many interviews with the press. These are much longer than the ones to which they are accustomed — and since many of the reporters involved do not usually cover the Chiefs, they are often are filled with questions players have answered many times before.

Added to the intense pressure they are already experiencing while preparing for the championship game, these can be a real burden. Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid did four such interviews this week. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes appeared in three.

And on Thursday, after he had answered the final question of his second press session — which had lasted for 27 minutes — wide receiver Tyreek Hill had something he wanted to get off his chest.

“I just got one more thing to say,” he said, leaning into the camera. ”Last night, I tweeted something from a Bible verse... This Bible verse really spoke to me last night while I was doing Bible study with my girl. It says, ‘Present sufferings with the hope of future glory.’ Man, let that sink in your heart before you guys go to sleep tonight — or just go do what you’ve got to do. The Cheetah is out, man!”

Hill was referring to Romans 8:18. The King James version of the Bible translates this verse as, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” The New International Version has it as, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul obviously wasn’t referring to Super Bowl week — although he likely understood the Roman numerals we now use to designate them better than most of us do. In this particular week, however, it’s not difficult to see why Paul’s words spoke to Hill.

Even then, Hill wasn’t quite finished. He held the gold chain hanging around his neck up to the camera.

“See the gold chain?” he asked. ”It’s fake. I’m out.”

As the end of their week of preparation leading up to Super Bowl LV, this is where the Chiefs find themselves: tired of the hoopla, but prepared for glory. Focused not only on the game but also on the things that are important to them. And finally... loose enough to make a joke at their own expense.

The Chiefs are ready to play.