Transcript
0:02 thank you very much good morning thank you Robert uh in particular for being here to introduce me uh it means a great deal to me to have you here and we obviously heard we have a number of patriot fans in the house and you know better than anyone as owner of the Patriots Robert Craft has given this area and this region a lot to
0:32 cheer for we are all fortunate all of us to have him as an owner of a model franchise and we're lucky to have him as a friend and a mentor to this commissioner so thank you Robert first let me uh extend my congratulations to the class of 2010 and all of your families this is an important day for all of you and I thank you for allowing me to be a small part
1:04 of it on behalf of my brothers thanks also to Chancellor man for honoring Our Father whenever you think of Marty you think of passion energy and Leadership that strikes you about Marty he makes things better and he has already done that here at LOL and I know he'll continue to make a difference thank you Marty
1:34 as said before today I'm here with my family in honor of my father it is my mother however who would have been the happiest to see me standing here she was worried really worried that I would never even graduate and I'm talking about high school I was what they call a late bloomer but my mother and father are the very reasons I stand before you today you heard Chancellor Manan speak
2:07 about my father earlier and some of his accomplishments and we are proud of his accomplishments and his legacy Having the courage to stick to his principles and do what's right regardless of the consequences my father initially supported the war in Vietnam he always supported our troops this is particularly important to note this Memorial Day weekend when we take the time to remember the sacrifices
2:38 and contributions of our military throughout our history but his views on the goal on the goals of the Vietnam War evolved and eventually changed because he listened he spoke to many people including many college students those voices had a tremendous influence on him your voice is important so in preparing for today I
3:09 asked a group of your classmates what they thought would be most relevant for me to share with you today and they told me it was like a press conference they were almost as good as many of my members in the media let me share with you though three questions the group thought would be most valuable for me to address today first how did you get started and develop your career it is important to remember that
3:40 I was sitting in your chair not too long ago nervous and uncertain about my future and it is very common at ceremonies such as this to tell graduates dream and dream big I say do more than that when you dream you're in an unconscious state it ends you wake up it's not real you need to create a
4:10 vision this takes determination and a plan that takes your dream to a destination my dream was football in fact I slept with a football starting at age six a practice my wife just broke me up in the last few years my passion and vision was to work in the NFL so I created that plan I wrote more than 40 letters to the NFL
4:42 everybody the results as you heard earlier a big pile of rejections some plan huh but I was determined and persistent and kept writing and finally there was a plight but somewhat dismissive reply from a weary executive at the NFL to quote stop by if you're in the area so I told them I'm in the area I got in my car I Drove All Night
5:14 from Pittsburgh to New York and I was on his doorstep the next morning 6 months later and probably 12 or 13 letters later they offered me a three-month internship that executive looked at me 10 or 15 years later and I asked him why did you hire me he said I thought you were a nice guy so it doesn't matter how you get in the door just get in that door it was supposed to be a one season
5:46 internship but it was my opportunity to show what I could do the lesson for you as you develop your career seize every opportunity and and know that you will make a lot of mistakes Tom Brady completes a lot of passes but he also throws a lot of interceptions I'm sorry to say that to you many
6:17 things is Robert saying something over my shoulder I should be aware many things aren't going to go as planned the world is too complex to be known so life is about navigating uncertainty you have to be resilient you have to just and you have to be determined you often make mistakes when you challenge yourself but you need to do that don't let yourself get
6:49 comfortable avoid the comfort zone being uncomfortable will motivate you and cause you to grow faster I'm here today because I had a vision for my future I seize those opportunities made a lot of mistakes and challenged myself you can do the same second question how do you make decisions some people ask me this frequently a thoughtful process is
7:21 critical to making good decisions first comes good information get your facts straight because of of Technology your world is much different than the world that I entered coming out of college there is so much access to information your challenge is not the amount of information but determining the credibility of that information and siphoning that information to help you make better decisions then
7:52 listen and listen to many different viewpoints especially to those who disagree my father did get as much feedback as you can from a diverse group of people why because very simply you do not have all the answers no one does you need humility and to understand that no one succeeds on their own you must also resist the temptation
8:24 to make premature decisions and O be open to changing your position I to find a better solution it might not be solution a or solution B but rather solution C after a good process with discourse dialogue and some good thinking if it is a better solution it doesn't matter who it came from this world needs a lot less finger pointing and a lot more
8:56 solutions we make decisions in the NFL all the time sometimes we force those decisions because we want to improve and not become complacent or comfortable they call me Relentless to the point my staff my family sometimes consider me a royal pain in the neck but so be it much of what the commissioner does is resolve conflict many are tough decisions they come with a lot of
9:28 criticism but at the end of the day the decision must be made and it's about doing what is right the third question what do you wish someone had told you when you had graduated I don't remember who spoke at my graduation or what that person said and you probably won't either but here is something for you all to remember your education is not over
10:00 it's just the beginning and don't take that as bad news you have learned how to learn and now you must strive to learn all of your life learn especially how to work with people and develop the respect and relationships that are necessary for Success teamwork is essential to success it certainly is in the NFL also Embrace ch change as daunting
10:31 and as uncomfortable as change can be do not resist it I am fortunate that I have spent most of my career in the NFL but I've worked in many different areas and challenged myself to do many different things and to learn many different things I'm still doing that I have been studying medical issues the past few years in ways I never imagined or dreamed I could do because of our priority on providing the best possible
11:02 care for our players health and safety and of course technology has changed my life just as it's changed all of yours just a couple of years ago I didn't even know how to Google I had my twin girls teaching me how to Google now they're teaching me how to use my iPad the world changes and they're leading the way and so will you and as Robert said last year I climbed a mountain probably for the last time
11:30 next year I will gladly cut that check for $400,000 Robert our country is facing very difficult Economic Times and the job market is tough you know that better than any if possible though I ask you to focus on the best job opportunity that will provide the challenges and valuable experience that you will need and on people you enjoy working with that will Mentor you and help you
12:02 develop I'm grateful to you the students who came up with these questions and I hope the answers were as good as the questions let me share with you two lines which my father wrote To Me shortly after graduating from college in expressing my appreciation to my parents I wrote in 1981 to my father 1981 if there's one thing I want to accomplish in life besides becoming commissioner of the
12:33 NFL it is to make you proud of me I told you I had a vision in a letter back to me my father wrote feel your own pressure your own is sufficient you as graduates should do the same create your own create your own pressure as you start this next J Jersey JY Journey there will be many people pulling you one way and pushing you
13:05 another it is important to listen to those voices but remember listen to yourself for the family and friends of the graduates here know that you can make a big difference with your words of support and encouragement my father listened to others felt his own pressures stood up for what he believed in and failed in a very public
13:35 way he lost his reelection he lost his political career he loved so very dearly but what did he retained something much bigger his principles his Integrity his character and he established an important Legacy as you build your legacy it will be determined not by what you do but how you do
14:07 it have the courage to do what you believe in do it well and do it with everything you've got congratulations to you the class of 2010 let your voice be heard and go make a difference thank you