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Tom Brady was chosen as the speaker for Georgetown University’s business school graduation, and he delivered his speech the only way Brady knew how.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion received high praise from those who spoke before him, prompting Brady to quickly make a joke apparently about his former head coach Bill Belichick.
“I don’t like compliments. For 20 years, I had a coach who told me how shitty I was every day,” Brady said.
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Tom Brady celebrates with head coach Bill Belichick after the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime in 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 watching this crowd of incredible business majors, I realized something: Sports was a very strange way to make a living. People were yelling at me all the time, they were betting on my performances, and they were celebrating all my failures. Sports is a lot like business, however, is that when you do it long enough, your life is defined by numbers. Twenty-three was the number of professional seasons I played. Seven is my Super Bowl wins. Three is the Super Bowl losses, Damn, Eli Manning,” Brady continued.
Brady’s original thesis, however, was to fight through adversity and never give up, and the best way for Brady to convey his motivational message was to tell the story of his comeback in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons.
Brady mentioned the number 99.7, saying that if something happens 99.7 percent of the time, it’s a “forecast.” When Brady began telling the story of his comeback, he warned the audience about potentially adult language.
“I was an athlete, so you might feel like you were in a locker room a little bit,” Brady said.
Brady then mentioned that the Falcons had a 99.7% chance of winning the Super Bowl as they led 28-3 at the end of the third quarter.
“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 it. You’re going to think you’re better than your competition, you’re going to work really hard and it still won’t turn out the way you want. You’re going to find yourself in the short end of that 99.7% wondering how the hell you got there.”
“Overcoming fear and doubt in the face of these challenges is where you will gain the confidence to make your best choices when things don’t go the way you want them to,” he continued. “When the odds are against you, when you face your own 28-3 moment, and believe me, it happens, you have a choice to make: quit or fight your a-off.
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 it’s almost certain you’ll lose? Why not quit and live to fight another day? Well, sometimes there’s no other day. Super Bowl LI, there wasn’t another day… You might only get one chance to impress your boss or land a promotion, or close a deal or not. So what? You better prepare in advance – to face the adversity you are going to face with to give yourself the best chance of succeeding.
“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 take on the challenges will be the ones who made the hardest choices, who faced adversity and overcame it. They certainly wouldn’t have won every battle, but they never gave up… If there was a 99.7% chance of succeeding, I’d be behind the counter at Ben’s Chili Bowl before I’d be behind a center in an NFL game. But no one would could imagine that I would end my career with seven World Championships. Perhaps because none of these people knew that I would never give up.
Brady said he had a choice to make in the face of his 25-point deficit.
“I told myself, ‘Don’t be a little bitch. Go out there and fight. Whether you win or lose, fight to the end.’ At that point, we had no idea what the outcome of the match would be, but the one thing I learned from sports is that the only time you’re sure to lose is when you quit.”
Brady also told the graduates that they might have to work with people they don’t like, “like the Duke guys,” because it would force them to face their own fears and doubts “on the path to success in life.”
“Chances are your 28-3 won’t end in a trophy or a parade. It might not even end in a win. It almost didn’t for us. But that’s not really the problem,” Brady said. “These are only momentary tests where failure is not permanent, only giving up is. The choice to fight is an opportunity to succeed, yes, but it is also your chance to grow and show everyone that even though you are 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 biggest game of your life is losing your self-respect along the way.”
To end 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 the sleeves off his sweatshirt and yells at you all day.”
