Incoming college football player tackles Hebrew

Say “shalom” to Kobie Whiteside, incoming freshman defensive tackle for the Missouri Tigers. He might even say shalom back — and then some.

Inspired as much off the field as on by football hero the late Reggie White, whose faith played a major position in his life, Whiteside is going the whole nine yards with his Bible study.

That includes studying Hebrew to improve his comprehension of the original text.

“When I was little, I looked into Reggie White,” Whiteside told The Kansas City Star in a recent interview. “I saw how he combined his spirituality with football, and that’s what I want to do.”

“I wanted to learn [Hebrew] so I could help myself get deeper into my religion,” Whiteside said. “I try to read my Bible and then read the Hebrew Bible to see the difference.”

Whiteside’s second language skills are self-acquired — he has been learning with the help of an app on his phone since the eighth grade.

“You have to learn the English translation and then the symbols,” he said. “At least that’s how I had to learn it.”

Whiteside looks forward to using sports as a means to be a religious ambassador — much like his idol.

“Playing football gives you a good platform and people look at you more,” he said. “With this platform, I don’t want to put myself on there. I want to put my religion there — my God, my savior — in place of myself.”

Of course, if Whiteside really wanted a mentor that would encourage his Hebrew studies, he might look to former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire.

The 34-year-old basketball player moved to Israel after signing a two-year deal with the Israeli basketball team Hapoel Jerusalem last August.

Stoudemire — who isn’t Jewish but identifies with the Hebrew Israelites, African-Americans who believe they are connected to the biblical Israelites — shared a photo of himself on Twitter studying Hebrew this past April.

A menorah graces the table where he is studying.