‘It’s about the people’: Larry Fitzgerald delivers powerful Hall of Fame speech

The legend has been enshrined! Arizona Cardinals Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald‘s HOF induction speech was everything the Valley loves about him, full of thankfulness, jokes and wisdom.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Arizona Sports (@arizsports)

Fitzgerald noted he couldn’t possibly thank every single person who contributed to his journey, but he did quite the job trying. From his first high school coach, all the players and staff members who contributed along his journey, to all the fans and friends along the way who supported him.

It wouldn’t be the complete experience, though, without Larry Legend’s jokes. Whether it was the memories of losing wrestling battles to the “old” Emmitt Smith, Kurt Warner’s “insatiable love” for spaghetti, beating Paul Lawrence (his agent’s associate) in one-on-one basketball or teasing Ray Lewis for his lengthy Hall of Fame speech.

“I can’t mention every single person who nurtured me during my football journey because I’d be up here all day just like my guy Ray Lewis was eight years ago,” Fitzgerald said.

The Cardinals legend ended his speech with advice for his three sons, encouraging them to surround themselves with the right people and to uphold their values.

“There’s one thing that I want you boys to remember most from everything you’ve heard. Surround yourself with people who tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. Those are the people who actually love you,” Fitzgerald said. “Copy their examples and remember, there’s never much traffic on the extra mile in life. Bring others along with you. Don’t just pursue excellence for yourself. Help others pursue it too.

“That’s the part of the story that matters the most. It’s not the likes. It’s not the follows. It’s not the fame, but the people you travel with, the values you uphold and in the end, it’s not just about excellence. It’s about the people who you help get there.”

And just before Fitz ended his speech by addressing his family, he had all of his former teammates who showed up to support him stand so that he could share his appreciation for them.

Related

Larry Fitzgerald gets his forever threads in touching gold jacket dinner, moves closer to Hall of Fame immortalizationCarson Beck’s debut reignited intrigue surrounding Arizona CardinalsHall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald a true GOAT amongst GOATsESPN’s Bill Barnwell tabs Cardinals’ Budda Baker as ‘on the cusp’ of a Hall of Fame playerCarson Beck among Cardinals’ big winners from Hall of Fame gameCardinals’ Carson Beck aces 1st big NFL test with Hall of Fame game showing