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Tom Brady was chosen as the commencement speaker for Georgetown University’s business school, and he delivered his speech the only way Brady knew how.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion was highly praised by those who spoke before him, prompting Brady to quickly make a joke apparently about his former head coach Bill Belichick.
“I don’t like praise. I had a coach for 20 years who told me how shy I was every day,” Brady said.
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Tom Brady celebrates with coach Bill Belichick after the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime of Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Brady said he was “grateful” to be with the graduates and their loved ones, “even those who are [New York] Jets fans.”
“Sitting here looking at this crowd of amazing business students, I realized something: Sports was a very strange way to make a living. People yelled at me all the time, bet on my performance, and celebrated all my failures. However, one way that sports is a lot like business is that when you do it long enough, your life is defined by the numbers. Twenty-three, that was the number of professional seasons I played. Seven, those were my victories in the Super Bowl. Three, those were the Super Bowl losses. Damn, Eli Manning,” Brady continued.
Brady’s starting thesis, however, was to fight adversity and never give up, and the best way for Brady to deliver his motivational message was by telling the story of his comeback in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons.
Brady mentioned the number 99.7 and said that if something happens 99.7% of the time, it’s a “foregone conclusion.” When Brady began telling the comeback story, he warned the audience about possible adult language.
“I was an athlete, so you can feel a little bit like you’re in a locker room,” Brady said.
Brady then mentioned how the Falcons had a 99.7% chance of winning the Super Bowl when they led 28-3 at the end of the third quarter.
“It’s not exactly how I thought things would be when I woke up that morning,” he said.
“But you know what? It happens sometimes. You’re going to see that. You’re going to think you’re better than your competition, you’re going to work really hard and it’s still not going to go your way. You’re going to find yourself on the lower end of that 99.7% wondering how the hell you got there.”
“Overcoming fear and doubt in the face of those challenges is where you will gain the confidence to make the best decisions when things don’t go your way,” he continued. “When the odds are against you, when you’re facing your own 28-3 moment, and believe me it’s coming, you have to make a decision: quit or fight.
Tom Brady of the New England Patriots celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on February 5, 2017. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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“The choice seems pretty obvious, and it’s easier said than done. I mean, why spend all that energy fighting when you’re practically certain to lose? Why not quit and live to fight another day? Well, sometimes, there’s no other day. In Super Bowl LI, there was no other day… You may only have one chance to impress your boss or get a promotion, or close a deal or not. So what? You better have prepared in advance to deal with the adversity that’s coming your way. wait. fight to have the best chance to succeed. Losing by 25 in the most important game of my life, do you think I made the decision to continue fighting by chance? The previous 25 years of my life had prepared me for that moment.
“You don’t give up and you don’t make excuses…” Brady continued. “When the opportunity to do something special presents itself, the people most prepared to face the challenges will be the ones who have made the toughest decisions, the ones who have faced adversity and overcome it. They certainly wouldn’t have won all their fights, but they never gave up… If there was a 99.7% chance of anything, it’s that I would be behind the counter at Ben’s Chili Bowl before I would be behind a center in an NFL game. But no one could imagine that I would end my career with seven world championships. Maybe, because none of those people knew that I would never, ever quit.
Brady said he had a decision to make as he faced his 25-point deficit.
“I told myself, ‘Don’t be a bit of a bitch. Go out there and fight until the end. Whether you win or lose, fight until the end.’ At the time, we had no idea what the outcome of the game would be, but the one thing I’ve learned through the sport is that the only safe time to lose is when you quit.”
Brady also told the graduates that they may have to work with people they don’t like, “like the Duke kids,” as it will force them to face their own fears and doubts “on the path to success in life.”
“Their 28-3 moment most likely won’t end in a trophy or a parade. It may not even end in a victory. It almost didn’t for us. But that’s not really the point,” Brady said. “These are all momentary tests in which failure is not final, only giving up is. Choosing to fight is an opportunity to succeed, yes, but it is also your chance to grow and show everyone that while you may be beatable, you are unbreakable…
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan shakes hands with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady after Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
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“The only thing worse than losing the most important game of your life is losing self-respect along the way.”
Closing his speech, Brady implored graduates to surround themselves with people who push them to be their best, “even if one of those people is a grumpy old coach who cuts off the sleeves of their sweatshirt and yells at them all day.”
