What Would Shaun Do?

Supposing Jesus was the NFL's leading rusher, and His one-year, $6.32-million contract were to expire at the end of the season, would He move to greener pastures?

This question faces our favorite Seahawk, Shaun Alexander. And, as the superstar RB racks up increasingly impressive numbers as the season progresses, the question looms larger. Sure, it may be easier for Shaun to pick up a first down than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, but will #37 penetrate the Kingdom of God?

Well, if Matthew 19:24 is indeed the gospel truth, then Shaun's likelihood of entering heaven will decrease if he signs a fatter contract elsewhere. Making a deal with, say, Al Davis would essentially be making a deal with the devil (same diff).

Shaun is becoming one of sport's most prolific Christian athletes. Besides his Jesus-based charitable foundation, publicizing that he and his wife abstained from premarital sex, and his taped interview on Thursday's 700 Club, he appears in an ad for local televangelist Casey Treat's Christian Faith Center. The whimsical spot, which debuted last season and is airing again this year, depicts Shaun's dream sequence about a "Take Your Pastor to Work Day." Shaun imagines the redhead Treat, wearing shoulder pads over his pastor's suit -- but no helmet -- facing some generic footballers on a practice field. Treat gets knocked on his ass.

Oddly enough, the last Seahawk to generate as much on-field excitement is controversial Hall of Famer Steve Largent, now an arch-conservative Oklahoma politician and cheerleader for the religious right.

No doubt Shaun will remain a rich man, wherever he plays next season. Although his eternal fate is apparently up to God, let's try to humble Shaun into staying here in relatively godless Seattle, where he'll have ample opportunity for off-field proselytizing.

One final question: After many of his touchdowns, Shaun points skyward. Supposing Jesus scored a touchdown, would he point at Himself?