Lloyd offered a glimpse into a side of her many have long wanted to see - a more "human" side. Her 20 minute speech was unlike anything fans, journalists, teammates or friends had ever heard before. She was gentle, she was personal, and she was - above all else - emotional.
She had carefully thought about the message she wanted to send, and admitted that she didn't feel it was necessary to prove to the room how much she loved soccer - or how hard she worked.
"Most of you already know that about me," she said. "What I wanted to share wasn’t from a perspective of a competitor, but as a person, a human being.”
Lloyd weaved the theme of "Was it worth it?" throughout her speech. She questioned everything.
“As lonely and difficult as the journey was at times, I would do it all over again," she said. "There was nothing I loved more than winning. But winning comes at a cost, and I paid that price."
Lloyd said that she wished she'd let more people in during her playing days, let them understand her.
"I operated like an emotionless machine," she admitted. "I was intense, and I truly believed that the only way for me to survive in such a cutthroat environment was to be that way. So to my teammates, I want to say this: I’m sorry I wasn’t always able to give you all of me.”
She offered a thoughtful round of apologies to her family, teammates, and others who she neglected or impacted in her life. Even as she accepted such a great honor, she was selfless, offering personal insights few around her had ever heard. Being a mother, Lloyd's proudest joy, brought a sensitive manner to her voice. She acknowledged how becoming a mother changed her for the better.
Lloyd's career had several highs, but she was often closed off because of how she felt she needed to operate to reach the top. On this night, Lloyd celebrated a high filled with family, friends, teammates and supporters that have been waiting for her to welcome them in.
Lloyd is human, too, and ready to embrace that with open arms.
