I always wanted to swim the Channel, which is insane.
Wrestling was the hardest thing I've ever done.
Back in my mind, I never, ever wanted to give up swimming; it was something that I would carry on with.
Maybe I was born to play ball. Maybe I truly was.
When you're in sports, you have such a limited time and then, it's all over with, finished.
I think a great athlete transcends eras.
Oh, I never knew I was going to be a great player.
I wouldn't say I'm a phenomenon, just a great athlete.
Where I came from, sports were the only way to get out front.
I've always said boxing will not retire me, I will retire from boxing, and I stand by that statement.
I'm the type of guy that hates to get out of practice.
I was 12 when I turned my back on my goal. And I will keep doing it as long as my legs, my head, and my heart will allow.
I always had a love for the business. I remember hearing the stories about the patriarch of our family, 'High Chief' Peter Maivia, starting out wrestling in a rundown gym back in Auckland, New Zealand, then traveling the world, wrestling all over.
Top athletes are like warriors.
What counts in sports is not the victory, but the magnificence of the struggle.
It took me time to realize that the men who won Olympic gold medals in the decathlon are just men, just like me.
I feel that music is such an inspirational form of energy, as baseball is. And especially with Metallica, believe it or not, our shows are very physical. Sports is a very physical thing, too.
I'm passionate about owning a football team in my hometown.
You don't quit in sports. You retire. You don't get to quit. It's not an option.
The Olympics remain the most compelling search for excellence that exists in sport, and maybe in life itself.
It's fun to say football is my job.
I'm lanky and I've always been lanky, but I was a really good athlete. Everything I've ever done in sports, I've done at a high level. I had a passion for what I was doing, and I had to be the best at everything.
I was absolutely a non-starter at games. My report for rugby said, 'Nigel's chief contribution is his presence on the field.' I used to pray for rain and sometimes it did rain - and we played anyway.
I never said I want to be the football guy. But when that opportunity started to become real, I said, 'Okay, let's see where this goes.'
I don't consider lacrosse a sport. To me that's just a frat activity that got out of hand.
