Eagles quarterback Nick Foles' Super Bowl victory speech has an important lesson about failure

pulse

February 8, 2018 9:16 PM

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles gave a touching speech on failure and resilience after being named the MVP of this year's Super Bowl.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback
Foles, a backup who took over after Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz got injured, reminded the audience that failure is a part of life.
Daily struggles are opportunities for character growth, he said.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles shocked the world on Sunday by outdueling Tom Brady and leading his team to a stunning win over the New England Patriots in this year's Super Bowl.

But as incredible as Foles' performance was, the newly minted Super Bowl MVP is getting just as much praise for his postgame comments.

A reporter asked Foles what he wanted fans to take away from his journey, and his answer is a great lesson on embracing failure.

"I think the big thing is don't be afraid to fail," Foles said. "In our society today — you know, Instagram, Twitter, it's a highlight reel. It's all the good things. And then when you look at it, you think, like, wow, when you have a rough day or your life's not as good as that, you're failing.

"Failure is a part of life. That's a part of building character and growing. Like, without failure, who would you be? I wouldn't be up here if I hadn't fallen thousands of times, made mistakes. We all are human. We all have weaknesses."

Foles was thrust into a leadership role after Eagles star quarterback Carson Wentz was injured just weeks before the playoffs. Before that, Foles had languished in backup roles in Kansas City and St. Louis. He even contemplated retirement at age 26 before giving football another shot.

"I'm not perfect; I'm not Superman," Foles said. "I might be in the NFL, and we might have just won the Super Bowl, but hey, we still have daily struggles. I have daily struggles. But that's where my faith comes in. That's where my family comes in."

He continued: "I think when you look at a struggle in your life, just know that that's just an opportunity for your character to grow. And that's really just been the message. Simple. Like, if something's going on in your life and you're struggling, embrace it, because you're growing."

Leave it to a longtime backup to deliver a remarkably touching moment after succeeding on the world's biggest stage.