Editor’s note: On Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023 Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL. A few years ago before one of Brady’s many Super Bowls, we asked a bunch of his teammates for their best Tom Brady stories. They didn’t disappoint.
Tom Brady’s teammates have gushed over the years about how well the quarterback conducts himself not just in high-pressure situations on the field but also the quiet times off the field when the strong bonds are built.
So we had to ask a bunch of his teammates this week to give their best Tom Brady story, something that they remember that shows you who Brady is as a player and person.
While they were all different, they all touched similar themes — loyalty, humility and selflessness.
This one from tight end Dwayne Allen, who’s in his second season with the Patriots, is pretty great:
I went around last night asking patriot players for their best Tom Brady stories for a @ForTheWin story coming later and thought this one from Dwayne Allen was pretty good. pic.twitter.com/OLsK8PLWrQ
— Andy Nesbitt (@anezbitt) January 29, 2019
“It was probably before my first home game that I was involved with. We all get ready and we crowd in by the door. I get my stuff and all of the sudden everyone just parts and I’m kind of stuck in the middle like what is going on. I turn around and Tom, his helmet he pulls one of these (brushes his hair back dramatically with his hand) and he’s walking through. He walks through the crowd of people that just parted and he turns around and he turns around and he’s just like, ‘are you ready?’ And I’m like YEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHH. LET’S GO. It was one of a very few fan boy moments I’ve had as a professional athlete.
It’s inspiring (to play with him). Because even at the age of 41 – the way he goes about his craft, the way that he writes notes, the way that he challenges others to be great is inserting. “
Other memories came from the first day players met Brady. He’s well-known for shaking hands and introducing himself to new players — even though he’s possibly the most distinguished and therefore recognizable player of all time.
Here’s third-year guard Joe Thuney, who’s about to start in his third straight Super Bowl:
“One of my first days getting in the building after I got drafted by the Patriots, Tom came up to me and he knew my name. He introduced himself and said, ‘Hey Joe, how are you doing?’ I didn’t expect him to know my name at all. And he did, so I was pretty impressed from the start. I was just a little taken aback by him knowing my name and was like, ‘Oh, hey. How are you?'”
Starting center David Andrews, who’s in his fourth year with the Patriots, remembered being shocked by Brady right away:
“I’d say when I walked into the building as an undrafted guy he introduced himself to me. He didn’t need to do that. I was just a kid trying to make the team but he took the time to do that and that was pretty special.”
Backup QB Brian Hoyer was in his first meeting with the team when No. 12 won him over:
“The first time I ever met him, I’m a rookie, undrafted quarterback, like fourth on the depth chart and I’m in the quarterback meeting room with Bill O’Brien, who was our offensive coordinator at the time. I think (Brady) walked in to say something to Billy and he stands up and he says, ‘Hey, I’m Tom. It’s nice to meet you.’ And I think that speaks to his character. He’s such a great person. You all get to see how great of a player he is and I think I’m fortunate to get to see how great of a person he is. He’s a great friend, a great father, and a great husband.”
Knowing everyone’s name and getting to know everyone on a personal level seems like it would be a small thing to do. But talking to his teammates you quickly learn it is a very big thing that instantly gains respect and is something that is not forgotten.
Defensive tackle Lawrence Guy, who’s in his second year with the Patriots and seventh overall in the NFL, explained why:
“Tom knows everybody on the team’s name. He’ll have a one-on-one conversation with you as soon as you walk through the door to get to know you. As a man, he’s a great individual and as a teammate, he’s a great teammate. He’s a great leader on our team and he shows it by what he does when he walks in the locker room, interacting with everybody and trying to get to know everybody personally.”
Rookie defensive lineman Keionta Davis explained how Brady makes time for everybody on the team, no matter their role:
“Every day he goes by and he greets people by name. It’s kind of surprising because you think a player of that caliber, he doesn’t really know everybody — just off your first thought. But it shows how he has respect for his teammates. Anybody — practice squad, younger guys — he goes and greets them by name and has a conversation with you. It’s pretty cool to see from such an accomplished player.”
Running back James White, who scored three touchdowns in the Patriots’ Super Bowl win over the Falcons two years ago and has had many big moments with Brady on the field, shared a story about a special thing Brady did for the offense this year:
“There’s a lot of stories. But this was pretty cool: he got the whole offense together earlier in the season at his house to kind of show his appreciation for us. We had never done that before. It was a pretty special event, especially to see where are now and how well we’re working together.“
And while that off-the-field team building stuff is great, there’s also the competitive side of Brady that sticks out.
Veteran safety Devin McCourty, who’s played all nine of his seasons with the Patriots, didn’t hesitate with this answer:
“When we played San Francisco in 2016, I want to say it was after we lost to Seattle, we had just traded Jamie Collins and we go to San Fran and I think a lot of people are doubting us and we go out and get a big win. Everybody’s on the plane celebrating, standing up, laughing and joking and you look over at Tom and he’s on his laptop. He got hit in the leg so he’s massaging it, he’s watching film and totally locked in on watching the game we just played. I think that just spoke volumes. He’s always moving on to the next, he’s always preparing. And that’s just how he is day-in and day-out.”
Running back Rex Burkhead had been in the huddle with Brady during high-pressure situations and he’ll never forget how the QB acts during those times:
“There’s been numerous times where we’ve had huge drives and pressure situations and you just see the calmness in their face,” he said. “He’s not fazed at all. He just goes out there feeling no pressure and just all the confidence in the world and gets the job done. His ability to do that over and over at the highest level of the game is why I think he’s so great and why he’s been able to play football for so long at this level.”
Brady will look to go to another level Sunday, as a win would give him his sixth ring. And it sure seems like his teammates will do whatever it takes to make that happen.
