DETROIT -- Two weeks after putting the final touches on the Detroit Lions' 2025 NFL draft, Brad Holmes returned to his old stomping grounds.
Draped in full black academic regalia, the 46-year-old Lions executive vice president and general manager was addressing the graduates at his alma mater, North Carolina A&T, as the HBCU's commencement speaker. He didn't want to miss the opportunity to inspire change.
Speaking from behind a glass lectern at the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, Holmes delivered a powerful message to the 1,600-plus graduates.
"Choose your hard," Holmes emphasized on the stage.