NFL fans know all about Ndamukong Suh's impressive career as a defensive lineman for teams like the Detroit Lions and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But what they may be surprised to learn is that this former football star has long been interested in investing.
Back in Suh's college days as a Nebraska Cornhusker, he was searching for someone to help guide him on creating a winning portfolio. Luckily for Suh, he was able to get in touch with one of Wall Street's most illustrious investors: Berkshire Hathaway's former CEO Warren Buffett.
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As Business Insider reports, Buffett took Suh on as a protégé 15 years ago, helping the Super Bowl champ become one of the NFL's greatest super investors.
In addition to his real estate holdings as a partner in HMS Development, Suh is involved in diverse industries including hospitality and restaurants like Pizzanna. He's also becoming a financial guru in his own right, thanks to his No Free Lunch podcast.
To this day, Suh told Business Insider he talks with Warren Buffett at least once a quarter about his investments. But it wasn't so much knowledge about stock valuations and P/E ratios that stuck out as Buffett's biggest pieces of advice.
Instead, Suh said two seemingly simple life lessons from Buffett have made him much better with his finances.
Only the long game pays
For anyone who followed Buffett's investing style, it shouldn't be too shocking that he put a huge emphasis on patience when advising Suh. Berkshire Hathaway constantly talks about letting time do the heavy lifting with its investments, telling investors, "We think in decades, act with discipline, and uphold our commitments."
Buffett's long-term mindset — combined with his focus on companies he understands and feels are undervalued — has certainly delivered results for Berkshire Hathaway shareholders. Between 1995 and 2026, Berkshire's Class A share rose from $24,600 to about $758,300 (or a roughly 2,982% gain).
But it's not enough to just stick it out with high-conviction stock picks through volatile swings. Suh said Buffett's second critical recommendation is to surround yourself with knowledgeable, genuine friends.
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