Rookie NFL Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa Says He’ll Play for an ‘Audience of 1,’ Christ

Miami Dolphins’ rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa unveiled his new number Tuesday, and he says it has a connection to his Christian faith.

The former University of Alabama quarterback will wear No. 1 for the Dolphins, who finished 5-11 in 2019 and drafted Tagovailoa fifth overall in the first round last month.

“For the Audience of 1,” Tagovailoa wrote on his social media accounts alongside an emoji of praying hands. He also posted a picture of himself in his new jersey, with eyeblack crosses emblazoned on each cheek.

For the Audience of 1🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/kZYXaYVD1R

— Tua. T 🇦🇸 (@Tua) May 6, 2020

“Audience of One” is a popular phrase used by Christian athletes.

“The intent of the phrase is to help Christian players remember that everywhere in life – even in a stadium full of people – ‘we live and move and have our being in Him,’ and it’s His pleasure we should pursue above all else,” Athletes in Action’s Ed Uszynski wrote on the ministry’s website.

In week 13 of the 2016 NFL season, several Christian players for the Philadelphia Eagles wore customized cleats with the Audience of One acronym, “AO1,” on one side of the shoe and “Romans 5:8” on the other. They also recorded a video explaining the meaning behind Audience of One.

“What does AO1 mean to us?” they explained in the video, rotating lines. “It means that we are…