Faith, family, and football are the core themes of the famed footballer’s life. Check out several heartwarming photos of him and his squad.Faith, family, and football completely describe the essence of the celebrated NFL superstar Russell Wilson. Our Men’s Issue May/June cover star recently opened up about his love for all three of those things, with emphasis on how important his family is to him. In his cover story interview with entertainment editor Okla Jones, he discussed his love for his wife since 2016, performer Ciara, and how prayer is at the root of their impenetrable union. “When I asked her to marry me, once she said yes, I said, ‘Before we go do this, can we pray? I want to make sure we always put God at the center of it all,’” he said to ESSENCE. “And so I think the thing that hopefully exudes from our love is that, listen, love is never perfect. But we continue to try to put God first and pray over each other. We have these four beautiful children that we get to raise every day and it’s the greatest gift in the world.”As Jones describes it, Wilson’s faith has always been his core value and foundation, has helped guide him throughout the ebbs and flows of life, and encourages him to improve each day for himself and his family. “I think it keeps you grounded,” he says of his belief system. “It keeps you connected to who God is, and what He’s already done, and what He’s about to do for you. It’s knowing there’s always a bigger purpose in life. That’s really important. It inspires me to be the best version of me, so I can inspire somebody else.”It’s clear that Wilson loves to prioritize his family and doesn’t care about others’ opinions of his choice to be a present husband and father to his squad. Check out some of our favorite family photos of Wilson and his adorable tribe.