Leeds Rhinos legend Kevin Sinfield 'humbled' to receive honorary degree from University of Leeds

Leeds Rhinos legend Kevin Sinfield 'humbled' to receive honorary degree from University of Leeds.

Transcript

00:00you all. I'm humbled to be here and be back in the city of Leeds, the city that I love.

00:06I would like to say thank you to the University for giving me this huge honour. I studied across

00:12the city at Leeds Beckett and never would have thought that I would be here with you today

00:16receiving this honour. I will be forever grateful. For those of you who aren't aware,

00:22I was a professional rugby player in Leeds for 19 years with the Leeds Rhinos. I was fortunate to

00:27play in a very special team that won every trophy available many times over and that culminated in

00:33us winning a historic treble in 2015. The trophies and medals for my playing career are nice tokens

00:43but more importantly the memories and particularly the friendships are the greatest things that came

00:49from my playing career. These friendships were forged through facing good and difficult times

00:55together. The time we spend with people we love and care about is so special. I was determined

01:02that my playing career would not define the rest of my life when I retired from playing in 2016

01:09aged 35. However, life becomes very different as you stop being a professional sportsman

01:15and enter the real world. Deciding which path to follow can be difficult and if you are like me

01:23I can assure you it is okay if you still don't know what you want to be when you grow older.

01:31The one thing I do know though is how fulfilling and supporting

01:34and helping others can be. My good friend Rob Burrow sadly passed away just over six weeks ago from MND.

01:41It was a heroic battle. He was the bravest and toughest person I have ever met.

01:56Rob changed the landscape for MND farmers across the UK and influenced and inspired people all

02:02over the world. He helped the vulnerable feel safe, feel accepted and brought people together.

02:09Rob inspired me to be a better person, a better friend, to be more kind, to think of others.

02:16By doing this amazing things happen. Life becomes so much more fulfilling and special.

02:23Whatever life looks like for you all after this ceremony, I urge all of you to be better friends,

02:29care and support more. Spend time with the people you love and cherish the moments we get together.

02:36On behalf of all the graduates today, I would like to say a huge thank you to all our family,

02:42friends, our tutors and mentors. If they are in the room, please make sure you tell them how much

02:49we appreciate them. If they are no longer with us, I hope you will remember them today.

02:56We are all here indebted to someone's love, kindness, support, empathy, sometimes criticism,

03:07honesty and certainly belief. Be proud of what you have achieved and who you are and be thankful

03:15for the special people in your life. To the graduating class of 2024,

03:21I wish you all a fulfilled life full of happiness and love.

03:26Thank you.