Courier Journal
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles during a press conference after Super Bowl LII.
- Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles gave a touching speech after being named the MVP of Super Bowl LII.
- 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 your character to grow, 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 Super Bowl LII.
But as incredible as Foles' performance was, the newly minted Super Bowl MVP is getting just as much praise for his post-game 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. In our society today, you know, Instagram, Twitter, it's a highlight reel. It's all the good things," Foles said. "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 his leadership role after Eagles star Carson Wentz suffered an injury just weeks before the playoffs began. Before that, Foles 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. 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," Foles said. "But that's where my faith comes in, that's where my family comes in."
"When you look at a struggle in your life, just know that, you know, that's just an opportunity for your character to grow," he continued. "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, human moment after succeeding on the world's biggest stage.