LaDainian Tomlinson, the NFL Network analyst and former star running back, will make his feature-film acting debut in a movie based on the country song "Bless the Broken Road," which was first recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and more recently was a hit for Rascal Flatts.

In the film, titled God Bless the Broken Road, Tomlinson plays a pastor trying to help a distressed mom, played by Lindsay Pulsipher, and a disabled war veteran, played by Arthur Cartwright. Jordin Sparks, Kim Delaney, Robin Givens and Madeline Carroll also star.

The song's lyrics tell of a person finding love after making a series or poor decisions. In the drama, a mother struggles to raise her daughter after losing her husband to war in Afghanistan.

"Bless the Broken Road," written by Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd and Jeff Hanna, appeared on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Acoustic album in 1994 and has been covered several times since, most successfully by Rascal Flatts in 2004, when it spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts and won a Grammy Award for best country song.

The movie was directed by Harold Cronk, who helmed God's Not Dead 2.

Tomlinson spent 11 years in the NFL, mostly with the San Diego Chargers. He played in five Pro Bowls and was the leading rusher in 2006 and 2007. Tomlinson has been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2017, and he holds the record for the most rushing touchdowns in a single season - 28.