He only took five steps off the elevator onto the 34th floor at 191 Peachtree before former Atlanta Falcons quarterback and National Football League (NFL) Most Valuable Player Matt Ryan had to sign his first autograph of the day. A man handed him a red Falcons jersey and a black Sharpie, “Hey, Matt, can you sign this for me? He asked. Ryan obliged.
After 15 seasons in the NFL, 14 as the starter for the Atlanta Falcons, Ryan knows a thing or two about leadership. Interviewed by Atlanta Falcons and AMB Sports and Entertainment CEO Rich McKay, Ryan, who passed for franchise records in touchdowns (367), yardage (59,735), completions, passing attempts, and wins, spoke about his former career and current career as a studio analyst for the CBS show, NFL Today, and leadership on and off the field.
Ryan, the 2016 NFL MVP, opened by saying he’s a father of three sons and is now pitching for his oldest son’s NYO baseball team. A large part of his time on stage
“Your whole life you’ve been playing sports with guys your age. Then you get to the NFL it’s very different,” Ryan said. “When you play the quarterback position there’s a level of, whether you want it or not, there’s a level of leadership.”
Ryan told a story about listening to former Falcons safety Lawyer Malloy speak about the locker room needing a sound system during his rookie season, and then going out and buying that system with his own money. Ryan said that was an example of being able to listen and be a part of a team.
“You can’t fool people every day. Maybe for a week or a month, but not every day,” Ryan said.
Other topics that came up during the session were the infamous loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI, the “28-3” game, responding to criticism, and dealing with losses and expectations.
“Life is about getting back up in the toughest of circumstances,” said Ryan, who added that the 2017 season, the season after the Super Bowl loss, was one of his proudest moments. “Number one, it’s about getting back up, and number two it’s about owning the narrative.”
McKay asked Ryan about how his wife Sara and he invested and continue to invest back into the community. The Ryans give back to several child programs at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Boys and Girls Club in Lawrenceville, and elsewhere.
“I think you make time for the things that are important to you, no matter how busy you are,” Ryan said.
Some of the stories Ryan shared were about how he chose the number two instead of his former college number 12, being flexible during a career, risk-taking, believing in yourself, and how he knew he was going to play in the NFL.
“I would encourage a young person, that the people that are successful don’t give up when things are hard,” said Ryan, who credited McKay with being someone that he still gets advice from along with his father.
“In my life, I feel like I have walked into rooms with a lot of different people. You have to be comfortable,” Ryan said.
The former Falcons quarterback also credited Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank for giving back to the city of Atlanta.
“That was a thing I respected the most. That and his energy,” Ryan said.
Ryan and McKay took questions from the crowd, many of whom were from companies like Cisco, and schools like Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit School and Atlanta Technical College. Current Falcons defensive back A.J. Terrell was also in the crowd.
