Your 28-3 Moment

May 26 / Chris Steer
Your 28–3 Moment Is Coming: What I learned from Tom Brady at my daughter’s graduation

Mid-May, my daughter Kendall graduated from Georgetown. Tom Brady gave the commencement speech.

As a lifelong competitor, coach, and leader, I expected stories about discipline, excellence, and winning. What surprised me was how much the speech sounded like the philosophy we talk about every day at STEER.


Brady centered his entire speech around one moment: Super Bowl LI. Patriots vs. Falcons. Down 28–3.

With six minutes left in the third quarter, the Patriots had a 99.7% chance of losing.
And Brady looked at a stadium, a scoreboard, and a situation that statistically said the game was over. Then he told the graduates: “Your 28–3 moment is coming.”

Leadership gets difficult when things stop going your way. When the plan implodes and confidence erodes. When everyone starts wondering if the game is already over. And in those moments, your preparation shows up.

Brady talked about how the previous 25 years of his life prepared him for that moment. The hard practices. The setbacks. The repetitions.

At one point he said: "Every hard choice is a brick in the path toward the life you want. Every excuse is a brick in the wall standing in your way."

That’s preparation - and why we approach leadership the same way athletes approach performance. You don’t build resilience during the crisis, you reveal it. A few things from the speech that I haven’t stopped thinking about:

Seek out hard things.

Brady challenged graduates to intentionally choose environments, people, and experiences that stretch them.

Growth comes from discomfort. Confidence comes from proving to yourself you can handle difficult things.

Surround yourself with people who push you.

Some of the players Brady highlighted weren’t the biggest stars. They were the scrappy ones. The ones who were tough, relentless, and who showed up when it mattered most.

Talent matters, but character under pressure matters more.

The winner is the one who won’t quit.

"The only time you’re sure to lose is when you quit." - Tom Brady

That line could live inside every STEER Lab module. Because leadership is not built through theory alone. It’s built through reps:

  • difficult conversations
  • adversity
  • setbacks
  • recovery
  • recommitment
  • showing up again

One thing that also stood out: Georgetown’s business school is launching a new sports business program focused on leadership, performance, and the future of sports. Brady referenced the importance of environments that challenge people to grow.

That intersection between elite performance and leadership development is exactly where STEER lives. The tests may end in school. But as Brady said: " The tests in life never end."

Somewhere in your week this week, there will be a 28–3 moment. A moment where quitting looks easier. Where avoiding the conversation feels safer. Where the shortcut feels justified.

Don’t back away from it. Lean in. And as we like to say at STEER: Sit with the winners. The conversation is different there.

The people who grow, lead, and rise to hard moments are usually the ones who refuse to quit.

Get after it,

Train like an athlete. Lead like a champion.™