Joe Judge Reflects on the Lessons of Resiliency Learned from 9/11
Although he is knee-deep in preparing the New York Giants for their Week 1 regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers Monday night, Giants head coach Joe Judge offered some reflection on the September 11 terrorist attacks against the country 19 years ago.
Judge, who at the time was a student at Mississippi State, spoke of watching how, in the moments following the horrific attacks that claimed over 2,000 lives on American soil, the nation came together to show its resiliency.
"You watched how the city of New York came together in this time of crisis," Judge said while sporting a first-responders baseball cap during his daily video call with reporters,. "You listen to the stories of the guys that were in the building the day that happened, how they could see the smoke coming up from the city and it puts a much different perspective on it."
Judge believes there is are valuable lessons to be taken from the tragedy, lessons that he reflected upon when he met with his players and coaches during the daily team meeting before practice Friday.
"We talked to the team this morning about that it's not about what happened to the country on 9/11, it's about how the country responded, and I think that's the thing that's the lesson that everyone has to take, of how resilient this country is.
"To me, this is a day that we need to have appreciation for what everybody does, and the sacrifices they make," Judge said. "We can't forget what happened on 9/11; we can't forget the people that were willing to respond."
Since being named the Giants head coach, Judge has made it a point of emphasis to have his players contribute to the tri-state area. He has spoken of the importance of giving back and influencing change for the better and has been at the forefront of a program that began this off-season in which the players were divided into nine different groups to work with select third-party organizations who are trying to make the community more united.
He also recently launched an official Twitter account in which he vowed to use to bring attention to the work being done by the players and their partners in the community to influence change.
"You look at a lot of things that are going on across the country, how divided people seem. But it's amazing how much this country can truly work together and respond when needed," Judge said.
"There were actions taken on this day that brought this country closer together, and I think if we can focus more on how we can respond as a nation then we can move past the crap we're dealing with right now."
