It’s difficult to find another player in the NFL who can measure up to Tom Brady‘s accomplishments. As an idol of the New England Patriots, Brady has set a standard that few have been able to match.
Recently retired, the American football legend officially closed his career with a legacy that is hard to match. His impact goes beyond the seven Super Bowls and countless records to his credit.
Brady impacted an entire generation of athletes with his leadership, mentality, and professionalism. That’s why here are 20 things you may not have known about his history and personality.
Brady’s early life and family background
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. was born in San Mateo, California, on August 3, 1977. He’s the only son and fourth child of Galynn Patricia (who has Swedish, Norwegian, German, and Polish ancestry) and Thomas Brady Sr. (of Irish descent). He grew up a 49ers fan, admiring Joe Montana.
He attended Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. After becoming QB1 for the varsity team in his junior year, Brady started to create highlight tapes and send them to schools he considered attending.
Brady’s college football career at the University of Michigan
Brady got many D1 offers and was recruited by Michigan assistant Bill Harris, signing to play for the University of Michigan in 1995. After redshirting in 1995, Brady spent the next two years as a backup, while future NFL quarterback Griese led the team as QB1.
In the 1998 and 1999 seasons, after considering a possible transfer and dealing with anxiety and frustration, Brady started every game for Michigan, battling for the starting spot with Drew Henson. He left Michigan with a 20-5 record in his last two college seasons, including wins at the 1999 Citrus Bowl and the 2000 Orange Bowl.
Brady’s transition to the NFL as a sixth-round pick
His NFL Scouting Combine performance wasn’t good at all. Teams were passing on a slow, unathletic quarterback. He fell to the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, where he was picked 199th overall by the New England Patriots.
The rest, of course, is history. After spending his rookie season mostly on the bench, he gained QB1 status in his sophomore year and led the Patriots to a Super Bowl win, his first of many.
Brady’s Super Bowl wins and appearances
The winningest quarterback in NFL history, Brady played in ten Super Bowls (nine with the Patriots, one with the Buccaneers) and won seven of them. He had a passer rating of 97.7 with 3,039 yards, 21 touchdowns, and six interceptions in those ten games.
He’s the player with the most rings in NFL history and the most Super Bowl MVPs (5). He also joined Peyton Manning as the only two quarterbacks to have won a Super Bowl for two different teams.
Brady’s MVP awards and records
Besides the five Super Bowl MVPs, Brady’s a three-time NFL MVP (2007, 2010, 2017). He also holds the all-time record for Pro Bowl selections, having been picked 15 times.
He’s a three-time 1st-team All-Pro (2007, 2010, 2017) and 2nd-team All-Pro (2005, 2016, 2021). Brady is the winningest player in NFL regular-season history, having won 251 games in his career.
Brady’s charitable work off the field
Tom Brady has collaborated with, and may continue to collaborate with, multiple non-profit organizations. He has worked with NGOs like Best Buddies International, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Kaboom!, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The NFL legend also has a foundation of his own. Brady co-founded the TB12 Foundation in 2015 with the goal of supporting athletes to get the medical, nutritional, and cognitive help they need to succeed and continue succeeding.
Brady’s endorsements and business ventures
According to Forbes, Brady was the ninth-highest paid athlete in the world in 2022, including his endorsement deals. As per AOL, Tom has earned a staggering $100 million from endorsement deals with brands like Under Armour, IWC watches, Molecular Mattresses, Aston Martin, Upper Deck, Ugg, Footlocker, Tag Heuer, Sam Adams, FTX, and Hertz, among others.
Brady launched his fitness venture, TB12 Sports, in 2016 with his personal trainer, Alex Guerrero. He also co-founded Autograph.io, which helps users create and sell NFT digital collections, and his clothing line, BRADY, in 2021.
Brady’s workout and diet regimen
The TB12 method is perhaps one of the strictest diets followed by any professional athlete. It involves starting with a daily water intake of half of one’s body weight in ounces, and Tom Brady himself consumes “a couple of hundred ounces” daily. He prefers organic food and avoids consuming coffee, Gatorade, white sugar, flour, gluten, dairy, soda, cereal, white rice, potatoes, bread, and other similar products.
Transcendental meditation has been a crucial part of Brady’s fitness regimen; it helps in reducing stress, improving mental clarity and focus, increasing self-awareness, and enhancing creativity. Brady has repeatedly mentioned that practicing mindfulness has aided him in achieving success.
Brady’s relationship with head coach Bill Belichick
Belichick always coached Brady harder than the rest. However, he did it to get the best out of the QB, who “sees the game better than anyone else.”
Brady, on the other hand, recognized that there were disagreements between them but described their relationship as “amazing.” “We spent a lot of time together. He started to teach me what football was all about and how to study defenses when I started to play,” Brady added on his Let’s Go! podcast.
Brady’s leadership and impact on his teams
TB12’s legacy can’t only be described after his accolades. His leadership is definitely one of his biggest virtues, and he has earned league-wide respect because of it.
“Great leaders are always saying, ‘Well, it’s good, but these are all the things that we [still] screwed up’ when things went well, too,” Brady mentioned in the “Drive with Jim Farley” podcast. His ways of leading teams have been studied for years, and he’s considered one of the best sporting leaders of all time.
Brady’s relationship with his family, including his wife and children
Brady began dating Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen in December 2006. They got married in 2009 and had two kids: a son, Benjamin Rein Brady, born in December 2009, and a daughter, Vivian Lake Brady, born in December 2012.
However, Brady’s decision to play one more year and delay his retirement caused turmoil in the family. The couple would later announce their divorce in October 2022.
Brady’s involvement in the NFL Players Association
Brady has criticized the NFLPA multiple times. The most recent one was after he was fined last January, when he wished “our NFLPA was stronger” in terms of defending the players against the league’s disciplinary measures.
He also criticized the NFL’s decision to extend the regular season to 17 games in 2021 and called out the NFLPA’s handling of the negotiations.
Brady’s thoughts on retirement and life after football
After his official retirement in 2023, Brady’s main focus will be spending time with his children. He has mentioned multiple times that family will always be his priority.
“There is nothing I love more than football, but I have young children, and they’ve watched enough of their dad’s games, and it’s time for me to watch their games,” he said last year.
Brady’s involvement in political and social issues
In 2004, Brady stated that being a U.S. senator would be his “craziest ambition”. However, that feeling changed significantly over the course of the years.
Despite his well-known friendship with former U.S. president Donald Trump, Brady has stepped away from public political stances. “I don’t think anyone’s fond of politics these days,” he mentioned last year, putting to bed any possible chances of running for office or getting involved in politics.
Brady’s love for golf and other sports outside of football
Brady was recognized as an excellent baseball player during high school, where he played as a left-handed batting catcher with a lot of power. He impressed Major League Baseball scouts, and the Montreal Expos drafted him in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB Draft, projecting him as a potential All-Star.
Apart from baseball, TB12 is an enthusiastic golfer and has participated in numerous charity golf tournaments over the years, playing with other NFL players during the offseason. He also enjoys watching basketball and soccer.
Brady’s hobbies and interests off the field
Putting golf fanaticism aside, Brady has some different interests outside of sports. As mentioned earlier, family and spending time with his children are his main priorities.
However, he’s also a nutrition and mindfulness fan. He likes to read in his spare time and travel the world with his family to exotic locations.
Brady’s favorite foods and restaurants
The TB12 method undoubtedly restricts Brady’s food choices. Nonetheless, Tom has frequently expressed his affection for Italian cuisine and foods such as sushi and steak.
However, he prefers healthy and organic foods. As per Men’s Health, Brady’s food routine includes berry-and-banana smoothies before workouts; avocado and eggs for breakfast; salads with nuts and fish for lunch; hummus, guacamole, or mixed nuts for snacks; and roasted vegetables and chicken for dinner.
Brady’s relationship with former teammates and opponents
One of Brady’s most favored teammates was Rob Gronkowski, with whom he maintains an excellent relationship. Brady regards Gronk as a younger brother and has repeatedly stated that he would go to war with him.
Whether it’s because of his legendary career or his leadership skills, Brady has earned league-wide respect. He’s widely seen as the greatest player of all time, and players usually reach out to him for advice.
Brady’s mental toughness and resilience
One of the reasons for Tom Brady’s success lies in the fact that he never gave up, irrespective of how late he was picked or how low the expectations were. He didn’t pay heed to any negative criticism and kept working hard.
Brady’s exceptional work ethic and professionalism have been pivotal in his career. These two skills are the primary reasons why his football career has lasted for so long.
Brady’s legacy in football history
It is difficult to imagine that there will be anyone quite like Tom Brady in the future. His winning mentality, accomplishments, and overall success will be challenging to surpass.
The greatest player in American football history has officially retired, and the game will miss him more than anyone else. Congratulations on your retirement, Tom.