Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes gave an impactful speech at his former college: North Carolina A&T State.

This past weekend, Brad Holmes, general manager of the Detroit Lions, returned to his roots. He visited North Carolina A&T State University, his alma mater, to deliver the commencement address to the graduating seniors.

The most memorable part of the 2.5-minute video clip is when Holmes speaks about a piece of wisdom inspired by a poem called “Choose Your Hard.” Here’s the excerpt from Holmes’ speech:

“Life isn’t easy, but that’s no secret. What I came across a few years ago was a poem titled, ‘Choose Your Hard.’ It goes like this:

“Staying married is hard and getting divorced is hard. Choose your hard. Living with obesity is hard, staying fit is hard. Choose your hard. Being broke is hard, budgeting and saving is hard. Choose your hard. Honest communication is hard, silence is hard. Choose your hard.

“When I first heard that, it struck me deeply. No matter what road you take, there will be difficulty. I remind our scouting team of that constantly. Doing your job with care and precision is hard. But so is slacking off. Don’t forget, cutting corners might feel good temporarily, but reality will catch up.”

The takeaway is powerful, direct, and reflects the Lions’ identity built on resilience, hard work, and rejecting shortcuts. Holmes understood that rebuilding the Lions from scratch wouldn’t be the easy road.

He accepted the early challenges, including the team’s 4-19-1 record in his and Dan Campbell’s first 24 games. But he picked the right challenge, and now the Lions are thriving. Since then, Detroit has gone 35-9, won two playoff games, and enter 2025 as major Super Bowl contenders.