Since his days of football at the University of Nebraska, Ndamukong Suh has been one of the top defensive tackles in the sport. When he’s not terrorizing quarterbacks on the NFL field today, Suh is engaged in investing and helping out the community.
Along the way, Suh gained valuable insight from one of the most legendary investors of all time.
What Happened: During his time at the University of Nebraska, Suh won nearly every award a defensive player could take home. While he may not have made friends with many opposing quarterbacks, he made friends with another famous Nebraska figure – Warren Buffett. Such credits the legendary investor and Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE)
CEO as an important mentor to him for his off-field endeavors.
“Mr. Buffett is great. He’s one of my biggest mentors,” Suh said during an interview on CNBC’s Fast Money.
Suh and Buffett first met in 2009 at the University of Nebraska, where Buffett is a donor and former student. Suh and Buffett remain friends to this day and often meet to discuss investments and updates once a quarter.
A CNBC appearance of both former Nebraska Cornhuskers included an arm wrestling match between the two, which was won by Buffett.
Suh said Buffett helped teach him the value of relationships and having good people around.
“Relationships are everything in this world. And working with good people.”
Suh said that one of the reasons Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway have been successful is because of the people that lead the company and that have been empowered by the legendary investor.
Suh added that Buffett taught him two other key lessons for the future.
“My biggest relationship with him is learning how to be patient, understanding to always be prepared.”
Suh said one of his major focuses today is on affordable housing and multifamily housing developments, something he believes everyone in the world should be able to access.
Suh shared details on his partnership with Intuit
during the CNBC interview. Suh said he is proud of his family foundation and the ability to empower kids and youth in communities.
“I didn’t have the opportunity to learn it in school,” Suh said of financial literacy.
Instead, Suh learned from his mom, who was a teacher, and dad, who was an engineer.
