When you talk about Tom Brady, you're talking about one of the most respected players in the NFL. He may have made enemies during his time in New England - especially after the Deflategate scandal - but the narrative changed since he joined the Buccaneers.
By leading Tampa Bay to an unexpected Super Bowl triumph, Brady debunked the myth that he couldn't succeed without Bill Belichick and the Patriots. Now, the 45-year-old continues to defy Father Time.
In 23 seasons in the NFL, Brady has not been involved in many arguments. But recently, former quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick revealed having hard feelings towards Brady since the day he didn't shake his hand.
Ryan Fitzpatrick felt disrespected by Tom Brady
“No, zero respect, he’d never shake my hand,” Fitzpatrick said in an appearance on the "Pardon My Take" podcast. “I’ve told this story before, but he just p----- me off because you’re in Buffalo, you’re playing New England, they’re kicking our a-- —every single year they’re beating us. We finally in 2011 knocked them off. It was right at the beginning of the season. We had this great start, and he threw five interceptions in the game, which was just wonderful to see every single one of them.
“It was like wonderful to see and runs straight off, like no handshake, no quarterback middle-of-the-field where the cameras are, ‘Hey, stay healthy, buddy.’ You know, pat me on the head and let me go. He just ran straight off. It bothered me so much because there was no respect there. Every time I played him after that it was like, let’s make this dude respect me.”
It's hard to tell whether Brady purposelly ignored FitzMagic. Either way, it's been a long time since that happened and maybe it's for the best of both to clear the air and make amends. At the end of the day, both know what it's like to be on the gridiron for over a decade.
