Tom Brady had a very bad Sunday.
Six days after rallying the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 17-16 win on Monday Night Football, Brady’s Bucs were thoroughly dismantled in Santa Clara. The San Francisco 49ers, led by seventh-round rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, thrashed Tampa 35-7 in a game so lopsided Fox swapped out its national broadcast to the Panthers-Seahawks game halfway through the third quarter.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion had a particularly grim game. He needed 55 passes to throw for just 253 yards and got limited support from his defense and run game. He also threw two interceptions, one of which was a beautiful tipped-to-himself play from linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
The @NFL's #1 defense is goin' CRAZY.#ProBowlVote Dre Greenlaw
📺 #TBvsSF on FOX
📱 NFL+ // https://t.co/d2FDeaE8pp pic.twitter.com/JdaxF7vz5h— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 11, 2022
Greenlaw took that ball back to the bench with him, but it wasn’t the last Brady would see of it. Greenlaw brought it back to the legendary quarterback after the game.
And asked him to autograph it.
imagine intercepting a guy, then respecting him so much you take the ball back to him and ask for an autograph after the game
AND THEN HE DOES IT WITH A SMILE. goddamn Tom Brady and Dre Greenlaw, this is heartwarming pic.twitter.com/18tUMBNnKw
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) December 12, 2022
So how do you get a guy to sign your ball after you picked him off? Greenlaw asked very politely … and used a little flattery as well.
Class act ✍️ pic.twitter.com/sw7Egm9vYs
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 12, 2022
“Please, could you sign the ball,” asked Greenlaw. “You’re the greatest ever. It’s an honor for us, for real.”
Brady not only came through minutes after one of the worst games of his career, but did so with a smile. It was a show of respect between a future Hall of Famer and a young veteran linebacker capable of appreciating the moment he was lucky enough to be a part of. Brady and Greenlaw took the post-game jersey swap one step further, asking one player to literally endorse his own mistake. Brady, recognizing Greenlaw made one hell of a play to get there, was happy to handle his side of the transaction.
