I was recently very impressed by a group of veterans who have revolutionized the treatment of traumatic brain injury and depression. They had fantastic information, results, ideas and goals So I said, “This is great. How often are you guys posting on social media?” They said, “Well,...
“I’m 33 years old, black and retired.” I love that opener when I’m speaking at corporate events. And yet there is something beyond. In the NFL, being able to choose to retire (not having the game retire you) can a tremendous gift. And retirement life should be...
Self-care is one of the most important and consistent aspects of every champion, across every sport. No matter what sport you love, your favorite athlete takes care of themselves almost more than they take care of the equipment they use. And they engage in self-care...
Multiple times in my life, I’ve received bad news. The death of my grandmother. My father needing a kidney transplant. Being released (that means fired) from an NFL team. Minor disasters have cropped up too, like popping a tire when I had a guest in town,...
As a former athlete who has had plenty of surgeries, people frequently ask me about surgery — how I had them, what I did, how I recovered. I’m often the first person people call for advice when they get an injury. I’ve had terrible surgeries and...
Audiences laugh during a speech when I say I’m 33 and retired. I enjoy saying that because I worked hard in my previous career, and I enjoy reminding people of something big they often do not plan for: retirement. In my case, retirement does not mean...
Recently, a white supremacist was describing his methodology, “Hey, listen, I don’t care if you’re black, brown, male or female. Whichever one of you wants power is one less person from my culture in power.” Wow. I understand the perspective of someone wanting to preserve their...
There I was, lying in the grass. One cleat on, one cleat God knows where. Making sounds I didn’t know I could make, having pain I didn’t know I could have. In my freshman-year college football practice at Notre Dame, a player was literally beating the...
I was at my first state-level competition in high school. All of us athletes there had won our regionals. Every single kid was a top wrestler in the state of Minnesota, then some won, and some lost. After losing both of my matches (and quickly I...
I had just signed a contract with the NFL and wanted to own the American Dream: I wanted to buy a house. Then the bank and my realtor went crazy on me. Owning a home can be the most satisfying part of the American Dream. And...