The game itself was great. The commercials were, in my opinion, less than great. The halftime show, honestly, I don’t know as I spent those thirty minutes in my hot tub. I must admit, I wouldn’t know a Rihanna song if it bit me!

But there was an incredible moment in Super Bowl LVII. In fact, it was a spectacular moment that unfortunately many missed because it didn’t happen during the game. Instead, it took place after the final second ticked off the clock after the confetti had fallen to the turf, and after the trophy was raised. It happened in one of the most somber places in the entire arena… the losing team’s press conference room.

It was the nine-minute post-game interview with the losing quarterback, Jalen Hurts.

Jalen obviously sets very, very high standards for himself on and off the field and his dignity and grace didn’t fade in one of his lowest moments. In the moment of disappointment and pain after just losing football’s biggest game, watched by the third largest TV audience ever, Jalen was a class act.

If the food and beverage you consumed before and during the game wore you out and you didn’t last to see the post-game interview, you missed out. Jalen provided some great lessons in this nine-minute press conference that everyone who is striving to get better could learn from.

While the entire interview was a life lesson, there were three profound moments. The first was said with just six impactful words, “You either win or you learn”. He cast no blame. He simply displayed how to handle defeat with class and what lessons we can learn from it.

How do you handle it when you fail to close a sale or lose an account? Do you cast blame? Or do you handle and deal with it with grace?

The second lesson came in his answer after he was asked what he had learned from this loss, which was, “reflection”. He said, “As always, you win, lose, or draw. I try to reflect on it and learn from the things that I could have done better”.

After every meeting, after every presentation, win, lose, or no decision, do you reflect on your performance, and do you focus on the things that you could have done better?

Finally, after 7 minutes and 40 seconds of a very somber press conference, Jalen shared the most important lesson after he accepted one last question from an Eagles fan and a podcaster, Giovanni Algarin. Algarin is not your typical reporter. He is a 15-year-old young man that has suffered from a rare genetic disease his entire life.

When Jalen recognizes Algarin, Hurts gives us his first smile of the interview and cheers up instantly, and says, “I have never met you in person”. Then, Giovanni asked possibly the best question of the day, “What is the one lesson you’ll take away from this season?” Jalen’s response was, “You want to cherish these moments with the people you came so far with, your family, your loved ones, your teammates, and everyone that you do it with and do it for”. 

He finished with, “Everyone experiences different pains. Everyone experiences different agonies in life, but you decide if you want to learn from them. You decide if you want to use it as a teachable moment. I know what I’ll do!”

His words of wisdom made me reflect on two of our family’s mottos: “You need to appreciate your defeats; they are what makes winning so much fun”, and the last and most important lesson, “Be nice to everyone”.

This nine-minute video is definitely worth the time to watch. You decide if you want to learn from it. You decide if it’s a teachable moment.

I think Jalen is a winner! So does Giovanni Algarin!

Here’s to wishing you success and learning, in victory, and in defeat!