Tom Brady grew up as a big fan of the San Francisco 49ers. That’s why, after winning the Super Bowl six times with the Patriots and another with the Buccaneers, the legendary quarterback admitted it hurt him deeply that the team he loved didn’t consider him and instead chose another player at his position in the 2000 NFL Draft. It all happened during an interview with Fox.
“You know, my allegiance to the 49ers left when they skipped over me six times in the 2000 Draft. So, every time I wanted to play the 49ers, I just wanted to make sure that the coaches who were out there at the time, you chose a goat farmer (Giovanni Carmazzi) over me. I never forgot that.”
In the end, Bill Belichick and the Patriots selected Brady in the sixth round, and the rest is history. New England became the winningest franchise in the NFL, tying the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the 49ers haven’t won a championship in more than three decades.
What was Tom Brady’s draft pick?
Tom Brady was the 199th overall pick in the 2000 Draft, a decision that forever changed the history of the NFL. Months later, taking advantage of an injury to Drew Bledsoe, the young prospect from Michigan took the league by storm, becoming the greatest player of all time.
The legend noted that the fact 31 teams didn’t see him as a franchise quarterback motivated him throughout his entire career. Brady also always kept in mind that even the Patriots took their time before drafting him.
“I will say they all passed over me six times and in fact the Patriots passed over me five times. So, they were just one less than everybody else which is, you know, that’s okay. It all worked out. There were not a lot of people clamoring for my ability to go out there and play quarterback for them.”