How Giants LB Bobby Okereke's Growth as a Leader Took Shape

Okereke took advantage of some unique opportunities as a youth, which helped to shape him into the leader he is today.

This fall, the New York Giants are looking at veteran linebacker Bobby Okereke to be a leader on the defensive side of the ball.

But as Okereke was developing as a leader during his college years at Stanford University, he was awarded a summer internship to work in the office of now-former United States Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice.

“It was just a really cool opportunity,” Okereke recalled. “I worked mainly with her Chief of Staff, Georgia Godfrey, but just being in her office was incredible.”

Okereke’s primary responsibility was to sort through Rice’s correspondence and identify those which would eventually be forwarded to Rice once reviewed by Godfrey. He also got to help organize a couple of other projects, including a multiday event as part of the KPMG Future Leaders Program, which named Rice as its ambassador, and a golf tournament.

“Just being around her, I mean, she's such an influential person,” Okereke said with a smile.

Okereke said he was drawn to apply for the internship because he is interested in politics. His biggest takeaway from the experience was the lessons he learned toward becoming the leader he wanted to someday be.

“I think just how you conduct yourself and how your reputation carries with you wherever you go. Obviously, this is the prestige that Condoleezza Rice has. So just the way you carry yourself, the way you treat people like that was that Maya Angelou quote that people don't remember what you said, but will remember how you made them feel. And I think that just speaks volumes about Condoleezza."

Okereke’s internship was just one of many steps he’s taken in developing as a leader who leads and gives back to his teammates and community. He learned about service from his family and from his time in the Boy Scouts of America, where he earned Eagle Scout status, the highest level in the organization.

“It takes a lot of dedication, a lot of hard work, and I mean, obviously a lot of support from your parents, community and all that,” Okereke said of reaching Eagle Scout status, a status that requires 21 merit badges and the spearheading the proposal, planning and carrying out of an Eagle service project.

With such a stellar background, Okereke embraces the challenges of being a leader for the Giants.

“A hundred percent,” he said. “All that experience that I've had growing up as a kid, high school, and college, I just carry it into now. It’s just principles of being a man of your word, being someone who can be accountable to your teammates and someone who can just carry themselves with confidence.”

Whereas some players coming to a new team might hesitate to speak up and lead, Okereke hasn’t found that a problem.

“I've kind of felt right at home,” he said. “I mean, obviously, with a big contract, it comes with big expectations. But I just try to be myself. And I think that's what people respect about me. I'll speak up, I'll be vocal, and I'm just gonna be a guy who's accountable to his word.”

"He’s been a true pro," said head coach Brian Daboll. "I think he has fit in really well, not just with the defense, but with the offensive guys as well. Been a good leader for us in a short time with OTA’s. Usually, when you play that position, the middle linebacker position, you have some leadership traits about you and he certainly does." 

Although he is still adjusting to the Giants' defensive system, Okereke has kept to that pledge of being accountable and being there for his teammates, a bonus for the Giants, who have mostly younger and unexperienced players at the inside linebacker position vying for roles on the team.

"I think the best way to learn is honestly to teach," he said. As much as I can harp on the fundamentals and techniques and just the dogmatic mentality you have to play football, the more I can reinforce that in the younger guys, the more I reinforce it in myself.

"At the end of the day, it's, it's personal accountability, and it's group accountability. So I tell guys all the time, if you see me not doing something, you know, call me out on it. If I see you not doing something, I'm gonna call you out on it. And that peer accountability, that's what's gonna make us better."

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