“When you’ve got something to prove, there’s nothing greater than a challenge.”
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw is one of my ultimate, all time heroes and I just recently discovered that he suffers from clinical depression and has ADHD. I did not know and I feel ashamed! I mean, I am a Pittsburgh Steelers fan from way back and heck, I should have heard about this long ago… maybe I just wasn’t paying enough attention!?!
With this new found knowledge of my hero, I went back and watched the 1974 NFL documentary about the Steelers and felt, for the very first time, a connection beyond anything I had ever imagined with the blond bomber. Watching the documentary, I felt a kinship to a man who has already been an idol of mine. Looking back and re-watching was very typical of hindsight and I realized the connection almost immediately.
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What amazed and inspired me the most was that this man not only overcame his own inner adversities, but he did it on the national stage and with lives and careers which depended on him to come through – not to forget about a city that is known to be in love with its football team! Such pressure, such exposure, such vulnerability and such an awesome character… During that first Super Bowl Journey, Bradshaw was benched for several games in favor of another quarterback, he cried on the field, came back and was benched again due to inconsistency—he could have given up, instead he came back yet again and lead the Steelers to their first Super Bowl and then 3 more Super Bowls after that. He was the first quarterback to ever win 4 Super Bowls and he has ADHD! How many Quarterbacks without ADHD have led a team to the Super Bowl and win it 4 times? 1 = Joe Montana, and that’s pretty good company!
Terry Bradshaw has been through quite a bit and like many ADDers, people made fun of his intelligence and he is famous for saying that “I might be dumb, but I am not stupid”. Quite the contrary on both counts, despite being divorced 3 times, he is a very prolific worker, which really displays his multi-tasking ability and gives way to the lazy stamp many ADDers have. ADDers tend to seem lazy when challenged with an educational system that is regulated with set standards and therefore a serious challenge for folks with ADD or ADHD. The laziness stamp also comes from being in situations which require tedious work, which is boring to most ADDers. ADDers need excitement, challenge and incentive!
Bradshaw has found the excitement through challenge and challenges have always been his ultimate incentive. It didn’t matter if he seemingly showed his @ss, he maintained his passion and came through. He has been a Super Bowl winning champion 4 times, he is an NFL broadcaster, a motivational speaker, an author and he is a movie star and even has dabbled in preaching! There is so much more about this man than I ever realized and I am sure I have only scratched the surface.
“With a sharp strategic mind and a warm sense of humor, Bradshaw has become one of football’s most popular commentators.” Biography.com
Terry Bradshaw, the man, the ADDer, the inspiration!
“You can’t dodge them all … I got hammered plenty of times through the years. But you just get up and keep playing. I can tell you from experience, though. Sometimes it hurts like hell.”
Terry Bradshaw
Spoken like a true ADDer!
~Bryan
