PAUL MILLER: Curtis Enis found God this summer; the NFL found controversy. Enis, a Chicago Bears first-draft pick, says he was a womanizer and a heavy drinker until he found Jesus through Champions for Christ, or CFC. Enis fired one agent and hired another with close ties to CFC. The sudden turnaround led to allegations that CFC recruited Enis so he would give them money. CFC steers players to certain agents, who in turn get the players to give CFC money. Washington Redskins' all-pro Darrell Green, who is on the board of CFC, says those taking on the group are making a mistake.
Mr. DARRELL GREEN (Champions for Christ Board Member): The Bible says the battle is the Lord's, it's not my battle. It's not the guys in Champions for Christ, and as I've said before, if they're fighting, they're fighting God and that's a dangerous thing to do.MILLER: The NFL, which has a policy and procedure for about everything involving its players, is taking a look at CFC. It won't say why. A spokesman said, "There's nothing sinister about investigations, which are routinely undertaken." The league may be nervous about an unrelated case, where an agent who won a player's trust by emphasizing his faith fleeced them of $1 million. The idea of the league investigating a Christian organization makes some people uncomfortable. CFC says it recruits players to be good role models and good Christians.
Mr. DAVID JAMERSON (National Representative, Champions for Christ): We really believe that Christ is the way, so we -- we do, we actively seek athletes to want -- to see them come to know God, come to know Christ.MILLER: And they've succeeded. It's estimated that between five and 10 percent of all NFL players are somehow affiliated with the organization, and the numbers are growing. It's become commonplace for NFL players to pray together, but even in the more devout NFL, CFC may have been too aggressively evangelical, too fundamentalist.
Mr. DON BECK (Sports Psychologist): Champions for Christ took a very rigid fundamental turn, unlike the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, or Athletes in Action, that welcome membership from all different churches. This one virtually has become a church itself, with a pretty rigid set of beliefs.
Some NFL players, including Jacksonville quarterback Mark Brunnell, give 10 percent to CFC, but say the contributions are strictly voluntary.
Mr. BECK: This same kind of mindset and deep belief structure was translating into agent relationships, where agents were perceived in terms [of] whether or not they were Christian to the same degree that Champions for Christ are Christian. 
MILLER: It could be an issue of control, Bob. Football is a very regimented and disciplined sport. The NFL has a reputation as being a very regimented league. It may not like the idea that some of its players would owe allegiance to another organization. There's a couple of specific cases that might be troubling to the NFL, one of which is some of these players indicated that they're not comfortable with the idea of playing football on Sundays. And I'm sure the NFL would not appreciate it if a large number of players suddenly came to the league and presented it with a non-negotiable demand, saying, "We're not going to play football on the Sabbath."
