‘Embarrassed. Felt like a failure, worthless’ – Mike Brown recounts 2017 Lions rejection to help those Andy Farrell snubbed
Mike Brown on England duty in 2018
Ex-England full-back Mike Brown has offered advice to players upset at being left out of the British and Irish Lions.
Head coach Andy Farrell last Thursday named his 38-strong squad for the upcoming trip to Australia, and there was plenty of talent ignored on the shelf.
Being snubbed by the Lions
From an English perspective, players such as Jamie George, Ben Curry, Jack Willis, Tom Willis, Owen Farrell, George Ford and more had reasons to feel upset about their respective omissions from Farrell’s Lions squad, which was dominated by Ireland’s 15-strong contingent.
Set to call time on his stellar playing career at the end of this season with Leicester, the 39-year-old Brown posted his thoughts on LinkedIn about the Lions and the rejection he felt in 2017 when overlooked by Warren Gatland for the trip to New Zealand.
At the time, Brown was in the prime of his career with England and was coming off the back of a second successive Six Nations title with Eddie Jones’ side. However, that success wasn’t enough to convince Gatland that the English full-back merited a place on the Lions tour.
Brown has now recalled this disappointment in the hope that his story of rejection and how he eventually coped with the setback can help Lions hopefuls feeling wounded by not making it into the 2025 squad selection.
“It’s just one person’s opinion,” he began in a post that included a newspaper clipping from 2017 about ‘England’s axed Six Nations heroes’ who were snubbed by Gatland.
“The recent Lions selection has been a powerful reminder of the emotional highs and incredible lows that come with chasing something meaningful in sport.
“For those who make it, the joy is unmatched. We’ve all seen the emotional videos, the proud interviews, the celebrations. But what about the other side? The heartbreak, the self-doubt, the silence? I’ve lived it.
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“After being a key part of England’s 2016 Grand Slam and the 2017 Six Nations win, I hope – dreamed – I might get a shot at the Lions. Then, the morning of the announcement, as I was driving to training, the news filtered in: I hadn’t made it.
Reframing it
“Not through a call. Not face-to-face. Not sat watching it on the TV like others. But through leaked information to the press. I didn’t even listen to the announcement. I was gutted. Embarrassed. Felt like a failure, worthless.
“I trained that day with my head in the clouds, empty. Questioning everything. As you can imagine, I was awful in the session. Dropped balls, no energy, silent. I just wanted to get home and hide away. But after a few days, I tried to reframe it. I had to.
“I still had the opportunity and honour of representing England on the tour to Argentina. No, it wasn’t second prize – it was another chance to wear the rose and do the thing I love. Something people dream of doing. Something I had dreamed of doing. So I got back to it. Head down. Re-focused. Re-energised.
“I share this not for sympathy, but because I know many others – athletes or not – go through similar feelings. In sport. In business. In life. So here’s what I’d say to anyone facing rejection or disappointment:
- Don’t let one decision – or one person’s opinion – define you.
- Your value isn’t dictated by one moment, but by how you respond to it.
- Allow yourself to feel it, but then set new goals and get back to work.
- Rejection is part of the journey – not the end of it. Use it to re-align, not retreat.
- Use disappointment as that self-driver and motivation.
- Resilience isn’t just a buzzword – it’s a daily choice.
“To anyone going through their own version of a ‘non-selection’, I see you. Keep going. You’re not done yet. What’s helped you bounce back from a moment like this? Would love you to share the stories behind the success.”
