Golden Tate Shares 7 Insights That Can Help Every Athlete

The second episode of The Turf: Powered by D1 released on Wednesday with former NFL wide receiver Golden Tate as the featured guest.

The Turf is hosted by D1 CEO/founder Will Bartholomew and is filmed on location at D1 facilities. The Turf takes viewers and listeners beyond the weight room and into raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, coaches, celebrities, and influencers who know what it takes to train, compete, and win – on and off the turf.

At Notre Dame, Tate was a unanimous All-American and won the Biletnikoff Award for the best college receiver.

In the NFL, he played for the Seahawks, Lions, Eagles and Giants, having three seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards, winning a Super Bowl and making the Pro Bowl in 2014. He retired in 2021 after an 11-year career.

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During the episode, Tate offered insights every athlete, coach, and parent can learn from, including:

1. Play Multiple Sports

Even if he was a star on the football field, Tate credited baseball and basketball for sharpening his football skills. “It irks me when kids say ‘I’m just going to focus on one sport for the whole year,'" he said. For him, tracking baseballs in the outfield taught him how to high-point passes while basketball helped improve his timing, spacing, and lateral quickness.

2. Never Be Satisfied

Even after signing NFL contracts and making Pro Bowl appearances, Tate lived by the motto: “Don’t Ever Be Satisfied.” He lived by the motto so much that he wore a bracelet with it. “When I got my first offer, I wasn't satisfied," he recalls. "It was something else I was always chasing.” That hunger pushed him to stay ahead of the competition.

3. Mindset Matters More Than Talent

Tate described himself as “the ultimate competitor,” admitting he hated losing more than he loved winning. “The worst thing you could ever say to me is ‘you can’t do something.' Because I'm going to find a way to achieve it. I don't care if the odds are stacked against me." This mental edge helped him thrive against bigger, faster opponents.

4. Be Intentional in Everything

Golden practiced catching eggs at home to simulate unpredictable passes. “I was always trying to find a way to get better," he says. "I explain to kids being intentional in life is such a good practice to have. If you're just intentional, you're going to have a bundle of joy in your life." Whether training, parenting, or mentoring, he stressed the power of intentional effort in every area of life.

5. Learn From Coaches Who Care

From his high school coach to Pete Carroll in Seattle, Tate thrived under mentors who pushed him hard because they cared. By pushing him hard, Tate continued to improve and reached his NFL goals, turning him from a “knucklehead” to a dedicated NFL receiver. He encouraged athletes to embrace tough coaching: “The moment a coach stops getting on you is when you should worry.”

6. Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

Golden has tested himself in military-style training, golf, mountain biking, and pickleball. He specifically focused on his appearance on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test and how it changed his mindset. “Whenever I don't feel like doing something mentally, I remind myself we got people fighting overseas. It's all mindset.”

7. Listen to Your Body

Longevity requires smart training and recovery. Protecting your body through rest, mobility, and listening to warning signs is just as important as lifting weights. “There's just days where your body you can't warm it up. The few injuries I had was where I tried pushing through tightness, and I popped my calf. You set yourself back five or six weeks."