Pray for Kabeer, Chapter I: The School Play, the Minister of Defense and the Fall of a Hero

Over two decades, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila found his place in the predominantly white and overwhelmingly Christian suburbs of Wisconsin. In the first installment of our Serial Longform series, we delve into the former Packers star’s theological evolution, his discovery of a new religious movement, his transformation from revered to feared and why he feels he—and his ministry—are misunderstood.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila is one of the great success stories in Green Bay Packers history. A fifth-round pick in 2000, he became one of the top pass rushers in the NFL. The man who became known as “KGB” had four consecutive seasons of 10-plus sacks, including a breakout 13.5 sacks in 2001. He set the franchise career record for sacks and was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame.

Off the field, however, the story takes a sharp turn for the worse. In the first of a three-part series, Sports Illustrated’s Kalyn Kahler delves into the former Packers star’s theological evolution, his discovery of a new religious movement, his transformation from revered to feared and why he feels he—and his ministry—are misunderstood.

The first installment starts with a school Christmas show and a 911 call.

Police remove the two men, Ryan Desmith and Jordan Salmi, from the sanctuary and search them. Each is carrying a loaded semiautomatic pistol hidden in their waistbands. One has an extra magazine of ammunition and a nine-inch knife. Neither has a permit to carry a gun.

Soon, Gbaja-Biamila himself arrives. As Desmith and Salmi are put in the back of a squad car, he is ranting, arguing their rights. At one point, police threatened to arrest him. He’s allowed to go free, driving off as the Christmas play goes on. The night will only get stranger.

Gbaja-Biamila bristles at the perception that he or anyone in his ministry is dangerous. He says it’s common practice for members of the Providence Academy community to carry guns. He says that he sent Desmith and Salmi to the church that night only to record his kids as proof that they were participating in the program despite his objections, that he would have gone himself but didn’t want to cause a scene, and that if he had known the whole program was on Facebook he never would have done so. And as for the Black people don’t shoot up schools. White people do line, he says it was blurted out in the heat of an argument, and well before he considered sending Salmi and Desmith (who are white).

Later, the story turns to a night at St. Norbert College, the Packers’ training camp home.

One summer night, a heated debate broke out in the courtyard. KGB remembers Aaron Rodgers, irritated, telling everyone to go to bed. Moments later, the argument reached a boiling point and KGB proclaimed, If the locker room blew up, 99 percent of you guys would go to hell. Teammates erupted in anger. After that “most of the Christians turned on me,” Kabeer says. “I remember Aaron Rodgers turned on me, [he said,] If this is what a Christian looks like, I don’t want anything to do with it. ... I don’t hate him and I don’t think he hates me, but our relationship has never been the same.”

CLICK HERE FOR PART 1 OF THE STORY.