Former NFL star Tom Brady is known as one of the most decorated quarterbacks in NFL history with 10 Super Bowl appearances, and seven Super Bowl wins under his belt. But in a recent commencement speech to Georgetown University students, the athlete-turned-entrepreneur focused less on his championship wins and more on how failure, self-doubt, and resilience have shaped his career.
Brady used the Patriots’ historic comeback from a 28-3 deficit in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons in 2017 as a larger lesson about navigating adversity in work and in life.
“When the odds are stacked against you, when you're facing your own 28-3 moment—and believe me it's coming—you'll have a choice to make to quit or to fight your ass off,” he told the graduates. “The choice seems pretty obvious and it's easier said than done.”
Here is Brady’s top advice to recent graduates on how to navigate inevitable setbacks and failures in order to reach success.