Derek Jeter Preaches Respect, Humility In Letter To Michigan Football Team

By Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid

The Michigan football team continues to be exposed to world-famous athletes.

First it was Michael Jordan, who spoke to the players before their season-opening game against Hawaii. Then it was Tom Brady, who returned to his alma mater to address the Wolverines before their clash with Colorado.

And most recently it was Derek Jeter, who wrote a note to the team ahead of its big game against Wisconsin. No. 4 Michigan takes on the No. 8-ranked Badgers on Saturday at the Big House.

Michigan is the only team in college football that's outfitted by Jordan brand. Jeter is one of the brand's biggest endorsers. In his letter, he challenged the team to uphold the values of the brand - namely "RE2PECT," Jeter's trademark.

"Team,

In the spirit of our Forged for Greatness partnership between Michigan and Jordan Brand, we created your "RE2PECT IS EARNED" tees together this week for a reason, it is my personal challenge to you all to remain humble, yet hungry, every day along this journey to achieving greatness.

One of the most important things you can do is respect the game. You do that by respecting the process, the training, the grind, the details, your coaching and the people committed to seeing you succeed. You put in hard work, dedication and focus, and you never short change yourself or your opponents. In doing so, you'll earn the right to be called a champion and deserve the respect that comes with it.

No moment is too big for champions who play with RE2PECT for the game, and no accomplishment is greater than one that is EARNED.

GO BLUE, and good luck this weekend!

All my best,

Derek Jeter"

Jeter attended Michigan briefly in the fall of 1992 before entering the New York Yankees' farm system.