"Ryon, are you done eating?"
"Honey, what kind of silly question is that? Of course I am not done eating," he said, smiling through the red sauce.
The Southern California sun was going down on the Binghams' backyard barbecue when the 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive tackle for the San Diego Chargers returned to the grill for thirds.
It was during that third serving, licked fingers and all, that Ryon Bingham, the former Alta Hawk and Nebraska Cornhusker, openly shared the details of his true conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The gospel has filled his life with pure happiness, Bingham said.
"You can strip all the money I have made, everything I have, but I would still have my family and most importantly, God," the 29-year-old said. "It's wonderful to play in the NFL and make lots of money, but I would give it all up for my faith. Your faith is the most important thing, nothing else matters in life."