ATLANTA — Less than an hour after he threw five touchdowns and lifted Indiana to its first-ever National Championship game, Fernando Mendoza sat in front of the media and delivered a lecture on philosophy.
Like a professor presiding over his students, Mendoza offered the concept of stoicism. It’s an ancient Greek teaching which suggests that true inner peace can be discovered through self-discipline and viewing obstacles as an opportunity for growth. And Mendoza didn’t stop there, then openly opining about delayed gratification and its impact on personal and collective aspirations.
If you didn’t know any better, it would’ve been impossible to guess that the same 22-year-old discussing philosophy in the bowels of Mercedes-Benz Stadium was also the best quarterback in college football and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner…