Tom Brady

Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, where he was a central contributor to the franchise's dynasty from 2001 to 2019. Brady is widely regarded as the greatest quarterback of all time.

After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was selected 199th overall by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, later earning him a reputation as the NFL's biggest draft steal. He became the starting quarterback during his second season, which saw the Patriots win their first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXVI. +more As the team's primary starter for 18 seasons, Brady led the Patriots to 17 division titles (including 11 consecutive from 2009 to 2019), 13 AFC Championship Games (including eight consecutive from 2011 to 2018), nine Super Bowl appearances, and six Super Bowl titles, all NFL records for a player and franchise. He joined the Buccaneers in 2020 and led them to win Super Bowl LV, extending his individual records to ten Super Bowl appearances and seven victories.

Brady holds nearly every major quarterback record, including passing yards, completions, touchdown passes, and games started. Never having a losing season, he is the NFL leader in career quarterback wins, quarterback regular season wins, quarterback playoff wins, and Super Bowl MVP awards, as well as being the only Super Bowl MVP for two different franchises. +more Additional accolades held by Brady include the most Pro Bowl selections and the first unanimous NFL MVP. The only quarterback to win a Super Bowl in three separate decades, Brady is also noted for the longevity of his success. He is the oldest NFL MVP at age 40, the oldest Super Bowl MVP at age 43, and the oldest quarterback selected to the Pro Bowl at age 44. Brady is the only NFL quarterback named to two all-decade teams (2000s and 2010s) and was unanimously named to the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019.

Early life

Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. was born in San Mateo, California, on August 3, 1977, the only son and fourth child of Galynn Patricia (née Johnson) and Thomas Brady Sr. +more He was raised as a Catholic. His father is of Irish descent, while his mother has German, Norwegian, and Swedish ancestry. Two of Brady's great-great-grandparents on his father's side, John and Bridget Brady, were Irish refugees from the Great Famine who moved to San Francisco from Boston before the American Civil War. They were accompanied by Bridget's sister Ann and her husband Lawrence Meegan, the parents of the 19th-century American Major League Baseball player "Steady" Pete Meegan. Brady's great-uncle Michael Buckley Jr. was the first American prisoner of war in World War II.

In the 1980s, Brady regularly attended San Francisco 49ers games at Candlestick Park, where he was a fan of quarterback Joe Montana; Brady called Montana his idol and one of his inspirations. At age four, Brady attended the 1981 NFC Championship, against the Dallas Cowboys, in which Montana threw The Catch to Dwight Clark. +more As a child, Brady attended football camp at the College of San Mateo, where he was taught to throw the football by camp counselor and future NFL/AFL quarterback Tony Graziani. Despite the rivalry between the two teams, Brady grew up as a Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics fan.

Brady attended Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, where he graduated in 1995. He played football, basketball, and baseball in high school. +more He played against Bellarmine College Preparatory rival Pat Burrell in both football and baseball. Brady began his football career as the backup quarterback on the Padres junior varsity team. At first, Brady was not good enough to start on the 0-8 JV team, which had not scored a touchdown all year. Brady ascended to the starting position when the starting quarterback was injured. He became the varsity starter in his junior year and held the position until he graduated. By Brady's senior year, he was striving to be noticed by college coaches. He created highlight tapes and sent them to schools he considered attending. This led to strong interest from many football programs around the nation.

The process of recruiting was much different during Brady's time, when athletes' rankings were not as prominent. In terms of recruiting in the 2000s, Brady would have been considered a four-star recruit. +more In essence, he was a highly rated prospect. Brady was also on Blue Chip Illustrated as well as a Prep Football Report All-American selection. After his recruiting process, he narrowed his list to five schools. "Probably the ones that we did hear from and ultimately pared the list to were Cal-Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Michigan and Illinois”, his father said. As a Cal fan, his father hoped that Brady would attend the nearby Cal, where Brady was a silent commit, and that he would be able to watch his son play.

Brady was also known as a great baseball player in high school. He was a left-handed-batting catcher with power. +more His skills impressed MLB scouts, and he was drafted in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos. The Expos projected Brady as a potential All-Star, with then-GM Kevin Malone claiming he had the potential to be "one of the greatest catchers ever". The Expos offered him money typical of that offered to a late second-round or early third-round pick, but when Brady learned of the interest in his playing football, he chose football over baseball. Brady was recruited by Michigan assistant Bill Harris, signing to play for the University of Michigan in 1995. He finished his high school football career by completing 236 of 447 passes for 3,702 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also won All-State and All-Far West honors and the team's Most Valuable Player Award.

During summer break of 1998 and 1999, Brady was an intern at Merrill Lynch. He was inducted into the Junípero Serra High School Hall of Fame in 2003, joining fellow Serra High graduates Barry Bonds, Lynn Swann, Gregg Jefferies, and Jim Fregosi, among many others. +more When Brady visited the school in 2012, two weeks after Super Bowl XLVI, administrators announced that they named the football stadium Brady Family Stadium.

College career

Brady played college football at the University of Michigan from 1995 to 1999. After redshirting in 1995, Brady spent the next two years as a backup quarterback, while teammate and future NFL quarterback Brian Griese led the 1997 Wolverines to an undefeated season, which was capped by a victory in the Rose Bowl and a share of the national championship. +more When he initially enrolled at Michigan, Brady was seventh on the depth chart, and he had an intense struggle to get some playing time. At one point, Brady hired a sports psychologist to help him cope with frustration and anxiety; he even considered transferring to the University of California, Berkeley to play for the California Golden Bears. He worked closely with assistant athletic director Greg Harden, who met with Brady every week to build his confidence and to maximize his performance on the field. Brady told 60 Minutes in 2014: "He will always be somebody I rely on for sound advice and mentorship. He has helped me with my own personal struggles in both athletics and in life. Greg really pushed me in a direction that I wasn't sure I could go. ".

On September 28, 1996, Brady appeared in his first collegiate game after Michigan was up 35-3 against UCLA late in the fourth quarter. His first ever pass attempt was intercepted by Phillip Ward and returned for a 42-yard touchdown.

Under Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, Brady battled for the starting job with Drew Henson and ultimately started every game in the 1998 and 1999 seasons. Brady was All-Big Ten honorable mention both seasons, and was the team captain in his senior year.

During his first full year as starter, he set new Michigan records for most pass attempts and completions in a season, for a total of 214. He set a school record for completions in a 31-16 loss against Ohio State in 1998, a season in which Michigan shared the Big Ten Conference title. +more Brady capped that season with a 45-31 win over Arkansas in the Citrus Bowl.

In the 1999 season, Brady had to once again hold off Henson for the starting job. The two players platooned during the season's first seven games, with Brady playing the first quarter, Henson the second and Carr then deciding upon a quarterback for the second half. +more The 1999 Michigan Wolverines started with a 5-0 record, including a 26-22 win over Notre Dame, and a road win against eventual powerhouse Wisconsin. Against Michigan State, Brady was not chosen to play the second half; however, after being reinserted into the game with Michigan down by 17 points, he nearly led Michigan all the way back before losing 34-31. After a 300-yard passing game the following week, Carr went exclusively with Brady for the remainder of the season. Brady went on to lead Michigan to multiple 4th-quarter comebacks, including a 31-27 win against Penn State. He also led them out of a close game against Indiana, 34-31, heading into the regular season's final game as winners of three straight and earning him the moniker of "Comeback Kid".

Michigan concluded the regular season against Ohio State; this was a dramatic game with a trip to the Orange Bowl on the line. With five minutes left, tied 17-17, Brady led Michigan to the winning score. +more He led Michigan to an overtime win in the Orange Bowl over Alabama, throwing for 369 yards and four touchdowns, leading the team back from a pair of 14-point deficits in regulation (14-0 in the first half, and 28-14 in the second). He threw the game-winning score on a bootleg to tight end Shawn Thompson. Michigan won the game when Alabama missed an extra point following its own touchdown.

In the two seasons that Brady started at Michigan, he posted a 20-5 record, including wins at the 1999 Citrus Bowl and the 2000 Orange Bowl. Brady finished his career ranking third in Michigan history with 710 attempts and 442 completions, fourth with 5,351 yards and 62. +more3 completion percentage, and fifth with 35 touchdown passes. He graduated from Michigan in December 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies.

College statistics

Professional career

Overview

Brady was a lightly regarded prospect coming out of college, with an unimpressive NFL Scouting Combine performance reinforcing this reputation. As a result, he was not selected until the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, 199th overall, and was the seventh quarterback taken. +more Brady's success as a passer has been attributed to his work ethic, competitive spirit, pocket awareness, and intelligence.

Brady has started 371 games (324 regular season, 47 playoff) in 23 seasons, the most for an NFL quarterback. His first 20 seasons were with the Patriots, which is also the most for an NFL quarterback with one franchise. +more He has served as the primary starter in 20 of his seasons, holding a backup role during his rookie campaign and missing nearly all the 2008 season due to a knee injury. The 2008 season marks the only time that Brady has not started because of injury. Brady has never had a losing season as the starter and only missed the playoffs in 2002, the first year he started all 16 regular season games. With the Patriots, Brady led the team to 17 AFC East titles. He led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 to a wild card berth, the only time his team did not make the playoffs as a division winner, and an NFC South title the following season.

The winningest quarterback in NFL history, Brady has won 246 regular season games and 35 postseason games for a combined 281 wins. Brady holds a winning percentage, which is the highest among NFL quarterbacks who have started 100 games. +more He is the only NFL quarterback to win 200 regular season games and his 35 postseason victories are more than twice those of any other quarterback. Brady is also the only NFL quarterback to win all 16 regular season games, which he accomplished in 2007. In 2021, Brady became one of four quarterbacks to defeat all 32 NFL teams. Brady has the most Pro Bowl selections in NFL history at 15 and was named league MVP three times in 2007, 2010, and 2017. His 2010 MVP was awarded in a unanimous decision; the first time this distinction was achieved. Brady was also named Male Athlete of the Year in 2007, making him third NFL player to receive the award, joining Joe Montana. He and Montana are the only players to win multiple NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP awards.

Brady's 20 seasons as the primary starter have led to seven Super Bowl titles, the most of any player and more than any NFL franchise. Overall, he appeared in a record 10 Super Bowls; half of the seasons in which he was the primary starter and more than any NFL franchise other than the Patriots. +more He and Peyton Manning are the only starting quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl for more than one franchise, with Brady winning six for the Patriots and one for the Buccaneers. In his seven victories, Brady also set the record for Super Bowl MVP awards with five. Having earned Super Bowl MVP honors with both New England and Tampa Bay, Brady is the only player to win the award with multiple franchises.

Holding nearly every major quarterback record, Brady is the NFL leader in career passing yards, attempts, and touchdown passes in both the regular season and playoffs. He is the only NFL quarterback to have 600 passing touchdowns in the regular season. +more Brady also has the career and postseason records for completions. In his 320 career starts, he is the only NFL quarterback to have two separate streaks of consecutive starts of over 100 games. Brady's 111 consecutive starts from 2001 to 2008 ended because of his injury and his 112 consecutive starts from 2009 to 2016 ended after he was suspended for the Deflategate controversy. His longevity has also led to him setting several age records in the NFL. Brady is the NFL's oldest quarterback to be named to the Pro Bowl (age 44), be named Super Bowl MVP (age 43), win a Super Bowl as the starting quarterback (age 43), and be named league MVP (age 40). As of the 2022 season, he is the last player drafted before 2004 on an NFL roster.

On the Patriots, Brady and head coach Bill Belichick formed the NFL's most successful quarterback-head coach tandem. They were consistently credited with the Patriots' dynasty from 2001 to 2019, resulting in the dynasty being named the Brady-Belichick era after them. +more The dynasty is regarded as one of the greatest in sports history, with Brady's successes helping the Patriots set the records for Super Bowl appearances (11) and wins (6, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers). During Brady's first season as the primary starter, the franchise won its first championship in Super Bowl XXXVI, with consecutive titles following in 2003 and 2004. The Patriots won an NFL-record 21 consecutive games (regular season and playoffs) during this period, while Brady won 10 consecutive postseason games (also his first 10 postseason games), another NFL record.

Brady maintained the Patriots' status as perennial postseason contenders throughout his tenure, although they did not win another Super Bowl until a decade after their third. His next two appearances both ended in upset defeats to the New York Giants; the first loss in 2007's Super Bowl XLII also prevented Brady and the Patriots from obtaining a perfect 19-0 season. +more Brady returned to dominant postseason form in 2014 when he led the Patriots to their fourth title in Super Bowl XLIX. This was followed by Brady making three consecutive Super Bowl appearances from 2016 to 2018, which secured New England's fifth and sixth titles in Super Bowl LI and Super Bowl LIII.

When Brady signed with Tampa Bay in 2020, the team had not reached the postseason since 2007 and had not won a playoff game since 2002. Brady helped end both droughts en route to the Buccaneers winning Super Bowl LV. +more During the 2021 season, he set the season record for completions and led the league in passing yards and touchdowns. His passing yards during the season were also a career high.

One of the NFL's most decorated and accomplished players, Brady is widely cited as the greatest quarterback of all time. He is likewise considered the NFL's greatest player and one of the greatest athletes in sports history.

New England Patriots

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Super Bowl

NFL career records

Regular season

Most games won by a player: 246 * Most games played by a non-kicker: 326 * Most games started by a skill position player: 324 * Oldest quarterback to start a game: 45 years, 2 months, and 24 days * Fourth NFL player to beat all 32 teams * Most seasons with 35+ touchdown passes: 6 (tied with Aaron Rodgers) * Most seasons with 40+ touchdown passes: 3 (tied with Aaron Rodgers) * One of two quarterbacks to have multiple 5,000 yard seasons (Drew Brees) * Most times sacked in a career (556) * Most games 2+ touchdown passes: 199 * Most games 3+ touchdown passes: 102 * Most games 4+ touchdown passes: 39 * Best QBR in a season: 87.0 (2007) * Best touchdown to interception ratio in a season: 28:2 (2016) * Most touchdown passes to different players: 92 * Most wins on the road by a quarterback: 112 * Most wins at home by a quarterback: 133 * Most wins in one regular season by a quarterback: 16 (2007) * Only quarterback to have three consecutive games with 300+ passing yards, 3+ touchdown passes and 0 interceptions * Most regular-season starts by player: 324 * Oldest quarterback to lead the league in passing yards: 44 (5,316 yards: 2021) * Most yards in a single season for a quarterback aged 40 or older (age 44): 5,316 * Oldest player to win NFL MVP: 40 * Oldest position player to be named first-team All-Pro: 40 * Most career passing yards with one team: 74,571 * Most career passing yards: 86,787 * Most career passing touchdowns with one team: 541 * Most Pro Bowl selections: 15 * Most seasons quarterbacking for one team: 20 * Most career pass completions: 7,487 * Most career passing attempts: 11,657 * Most career touchdown passes: 633 * Most seasons as passing touchdowns leader: 5 * Most consecutive 10-win seasons as starting QB: 13 * Most consecutive 11-win seasons as starting QB: 12 * Most consecutive seasons on a team 9-7 or better: 21 * Most touchdown passes in a season as starting QB aged 40 or older: 43 (2021) * Only quarterback to have 40 passing touchdowns in a season in both the AFC (50; 2007) and the NFC (40; 2020) * Most game-winning drives: 54 (tied with Peyton Manning)

Playoffs

Most consecutive seasons in the NFL playoffs by a team, player or head coach: 13 * Most wins: 35 * Most games started: 47 * Most starting quarterbacks beaten (QB): 28 * Most teams beaten (QB): 19 * Most stadiums won in (QB): 13 * Most games won by a starting quarterback: 35 * Most consecutive wins by a starting quarterback: 10 (2001-2005) * Most postseason touchdown passes to different players: 34 * Most postseason road wins by a quarterback: 7 (tied with Joe Flacco) * Oldest player to throw a touchdown pass (44 years, 5 months, 20 days) * Most consecutive wins to start a career by a starting quarterback: 10 (2001, 2003-2005) * Most career home wins by a starting quarterback: 21 * Most consecutive home wins by a starting quarterback: 9 (2013-2019) * Most touchdown passes: 86 * Most touchdown passes between a quarterback and receiver: 15 (with Rob Gronkowski) * Most passing yards: 13,049 * Most passing yards in a single playoff game: 505 (Super Bowl LII) * Most passes completed: 1,165 * Most passes attempted: 1,855 * Most passes intercepted: 39 * Most division titles won by a starting quarterback: 18 * Most NFL conference championship appearances by a starting quarterback: 14 * Most NFL conference championship wins by a starting quarterback: 10 * Oldest quarterback to win an AFC title game: 41 years, 5 months, 17 days * Oldest quarterback to win an NFC title game: 43 years, 5 months, 21 days * Most career 300+ passing yard games: 18 * Most game-winning drives: 14 * Most fourth-quarter comebacks: 9 * Most multi-TD pass games: 28

Super Bowl

Most NFL championships by player: 7 * Most championships in professional football history by a quarterback: 7 (tied with Otto Graham) * Is the only starting quarterback to win the Super Bowl for both the AFC and NFC * Most Super Bowl MVPs: 5 * Is one of only two starting quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl for two separate teams (Peyton Manning) * Most touchdown passes: 21 * Most passing yards: 3,039 * Most passes completed: 277 * Most passes attempted: 421 * Most passes completed in first half of a single Super Bowl: 20 (XLIX) * Most passes completed in a single Super Bowl: 43 (LI) * Most passes attempted in a single Super Bowl: 62 (LI) * Most passing yards in a single Super Bowl: 505 (LII) * Most Super Bowl appearances: 10 * Most passing attempts without an interception in a single Super Bowl: 48 (XLII & LII) * Oldest QB to start a Super Bowl: 43 years, 6 months, and 4 days * Oldest QB to win a Super Bowl: 43 years, 6 months, and 4 days * Oldest player to win Super Bowl MVP: 43 years, 6 months, and 4 days * Oldest QB from the AFC to start a Super Bowl: 41 years, 6 months, and 0 days * Oldest QB from the AFC to win a Super Bowl: 41 years, 6 months, and 0 days * Oldest player from the AFC to win Super Bowl MVP: 39 years, 6 months, and 2 days * Oldest QB from the NFC to start a Super Bowl: 43 years, 6 months, and 4 days * Oldest QB from the NFC to win a Super Bowl: 43 years, 6 months, and 4 days * Oldest player from the NFC to win Super Bowl MVP: 43 years, 6 months, and 4 days * Most consecutive completions in a single Super Bowl: 16 (XLVI) * Most game-winning drives: 6

New England Patriots franchise records

Games played (285) * Most seasons played (20) * Games won as starter (219) * Games won as starter (playoffs): 30 * Games won as starting QB, single season (16) (2007) * Most games started (playoffs): 41 * Passing yards, career (74,571) * Passing touchdowns, career (541) * Pass completions, career (6,377) * Pass attempts, career (9,988) * Passing yards, single season (5,235) (2011) * Passing touchdowns, single season (50) (2007) * Pass completions, single season (402) (2015) * QB rating, single season (117. 2) (2007) * Longest pass-play, (99 yards) (2011) * Completion percentage, single season (68. +more9%) (2007).

Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise records

Games won as starting QB, single season (13) (2021) * Passing touchdowns, single season (43) (2021) * Pass completions, single season (485) (2021) * Pass attempts, single season (719) (2021) * Passing yards, single season (5,316) (2021) * Completion percentage, single season (67. 5%) (2021) * QB rating, single season (102. +more2) (2020).

Awards and honors

NFL * 7× Super Bowl champion (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, LIII, LV) (most for any individual player) * 5× Super Bowl MVP (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XLIX, LI, LV) (all-time record) * 9× AFC champion (2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2016-2018) * NFC champion (2020) * 3× NFL MVP (2007, 2010, 2017) * 2× NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2007, 2010) * NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2009) * 3× First-team All-Pro (2007, 2010, 2017) * 3× Second-team All-Pro (2005, 2016, 2021) * 15× Pro Bowl selection (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009-2018, 2021) (all-time record) * NFL 2000s All-Decade Team * NFL 2010s All-Decade Team * NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team * New England Patriots All-2000s Team * New England Patriots 50th Anniversary Team * New England Patriots All-2010s Team * New England Patriots All-Dynasty Team * 2007 Bert Bell Award * 2021 FedEx Air NFL Player of The Year

NCAA * 1997 National champion (Associated Press)

Media * 2× Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year (2005, 2021) * 2007 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year * 5× ESPY Award winner ** 2021 Best Male Athlete ** 3× Best NFL Player ** 2021 Outstanding Team (with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) * 2021 Time 100

Sports Emmy Awards * 2022 Outstanding Documentary Series (as executive producer of Man in the Arena)

Other endeavors

Brady has been featured as a guest star on several popular television programs, hosting Saturday Night Live in 2005 and voicing himself in the 2005 The Simpsons episode "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass" and the 2006 Family Guy episode "Patriot Games"; both football-themed episodes were broadcast within a week of that year's Super Bowl. In 2009, he appeared as himself in a sixth season episode of +moreS. _TV_series)'>Entourage. In 2015, he had cameo appearances as fictionalized versions of himself in the Entourage movie and Ted 2.

In 2007, Brady was a model for the Stetson cologne. Brady has endorsed brands including Uggs, Under Armour, Movado, Aston Martin and Glaceau Smartwater. +more According to Forbes, he earned about $7 million from endorsements alone in 2014. In 2016, he began appearing in a Beautyrest Black commercial campaign for Simmons Bedding Company. In 2016, he launched his own line of vegan snacks.

On January 20, 2016, Brady announced the launch of his peak performance website TB12Sports. com. +more The site features information on Brady's training regimen and includes a store to purchase TB12 equipment and merchandise. Later in the year, on August 23, 2016, the TB12 brand then expanded to offer a snack line. The snacks contain raw, vegan, and organic ingredients that are also free of gluten and dairy. The following month, Brady, alongside Boston Private and Robert Paul Properties, announced the formation of the TB12 Foundation. The purpose of the nonprofit foundation is to provide free post-injury rehabilitation care and training to underprivileged, young athletes. In March 2017, Brady moved beyond his snack line and partnered with meal-kit startup Purple Carrot to offer his own line of TB12 Performance Meals. The meals utilize whole foods and focus on providing nutrients for workout recovery. On September 19, 2017, Simon & Schuster published Brady's first book The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance. Within 48 hours, it had become a number one best-seller on Amazon. com. The book also reached No. 1 on The New York Times' weekly Best Sellers list, to be featured in the edition of October 8, 2017.

Filmmaker Gotham Chopra filmed Brady during the 2017 off-season and regular season for a Facebook Watch documentary series entitled Tom vs Time. According to The New York Times, the documentary follows Brady as he "conducts his ongoing subversion campaign against the actuarial tables of quarterback longevity. +more" He launched a production company, 199 Productions, in 2020.

In 2021, Brady and Richard Rosenblatt co-founded a sports-based NFT platform called Autograph. Autograph reached a deal with DraftKings for exclusive distribution on Autograph's sports products, creating the DraftKings Marketplace. +more In January 2021, Autograph announced it raised $170M in funding led by Andreessen Horowitz and Kleiner Perkins.

Brady has participated in The Match-an exhibition and charity golf event featuring professional golfers and other athletes-in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

On May 10, 2022, Fox Sports announced that following Brady's playing career, he would join the network as the lead color commentator. Brady’s deal with Fox will reportedly pay him $375 million over 10 years, making Brady the highest paid sports commentator in history, eclipsing the $18 million per year ESPN was reportedly paying to Troy Aikman. +more A week later, Netflix announced that Brady will be featured in a series of upcoming specials called "Greatest Roasts of All Time: GROAT. " Brady is the executive producer of the series.

Personal life

Brady was raised as a Roman Catholic, but in a 2015 interview with The New York Times, expressed he was less religious than he is spiritual. He stated, "I don't know what I believe. +more I think there's a belief system, I'm just not sure what it is. " Brady dated actress Bridget Moynahan from 2004 until late 2006. Brady and Moynahan ended their relationship in early December 2006, around the time Moynahan became pregnant. On February 18, 2007, Moynahan confirmed to People magazine that she was more than three months pregnant with Brady's child. Their son, John Edward Thomas Moynahan, was born in August 2007, at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

Brady began dating Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen in December 2006. In 2009, Brady said they had been set up on a blind date by a mutual friend. +more Brady and Bündchen married on February 26, 2009, in an intimate Catholic ceremony in Santa Monica, California. Together, they have two children: a son, Benjamin Rein Brady, born in December 2009, and a daughter, Vivian Lake Brady, born in December 2012. In October 2022 the couple announced on Instagram, that they had finalized a divorce, ending 13 years of marriage. Brady and Bündchen's marriage had been the subject of various tabloid rumors and speculation earlier in the year after Brady came out of retirement and Bündchen voiced her concern about the violent nature of football on Brady's longterm health.

Brady and baseball player Kevin Youkilis became brothers-in-law in 2012 when Youkilis married Brady's sister Julie. Brady's niece Maya Brady is a college softball player for the UCLA Bruins.

Brady and his family previously resided in the Boston suburb of Brookline, Massachusetts during his playing career with the Patriots, as well as New York City. They own several homes together and spend time during the summer at the Yellowstone Club near Big Sky, Montana, and at their home at Silo Ridge in Amenia, New York. +more When Brady signed with the Buccaneers, he rented a mansion in Tampa, Florida, owned by retired baseball player and former Miami Marlins owner Derek Jeter. In December 2020, Brady and Bündchen reportedly bought a home in Indian Creek, Florida.

Politics

Brady attended the 2004 State of the Union Address as a special guest of then-President George W. +more Bush. In 2004, he told ESPN The Magazine that being a U. S. Senator would be his "craziest ambition".

Brady is a friend of former President Donald Trump; in 2017, Brady indicated he had known Trump "for 16 years". At a political event in New Hampshire on the day before the 2016 presidential election, Trump said he had received a call from Brady, and that Brady told him "Donald, I support you, you're my friend, and I voted for you. +more" However, after his wife was asked directly on Instagram whether she and Brady backed Trump, Bündchen answered "NO!" After a Trump campaign "Make America Great Again" cap was photographed in Brady's locker, Brady said that Bündchen told him to not discuss politics anymore, which he thought was a "good decision". Brady did not join the New England Patriots in visiting Trump at the White House in April 2017 after their Super Bowl victory, citing "personal family matters".

In an interview with Howard Stern on The Howard Stern Show in April 2020, Brady explained that Trump had reached out to him to speak at the 2016 Republican National Convention, and that he declined, saying, "It was uncomfortable for me because you can't undo things, not that I would undo a friendship, but political support is totally different than the support of a friend. " He said that he has known Trump since 2001, and that Trump asked him to be a judge in the Miss USA pageant, after Brady led the Patriots to victory in Super Bowl XXXVI. +more He explained that Trump used to come to Patriots games and would call him and golf with him occasionally. However, Brady said that he did not see the benefit of getting involved in an event as polarizing as a presidential election. Brady reiterated in 2022 that he had not spoken with Trump in "years" and that his relationship with Trump had been mischaracterized by the media.

While there has been speculation that Brady would run for political office, in a 2015 interview he stated he had no interest in doing so. He reiterated in 2022 that he would avoid a political career because, "I don’t think anyone’s fond of politics these days. +more".

In 2018, he endorsed Republican Helen Brady (no relation) for State Auditor of Massachusetts. Helen Brady eventually lost the election to Democrat +more_Bump'>Suzanne M. Bump.

Diet and lifestyle

Brady's health regimen includes transcendental meditation, yoga, hydrating, an 80/20 diet (meaning 80% alkaline and 20% acidic), early bed time, resistance training and neuroplasticity training.

He and his family adhere to a controversial, strict diet, the "TB12 Method", which has attracted much media attention. Brady advocates a daily water intake in ounces of half of one's body weight in pounds and personally consumes "a couple hundred ounces" daily. +more He avoids most fruits, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, coffee, Gatorade, white sugar, flour, gluten, dairy, soda, cereal, white rice, potatoes, and bread. In 2022 Brady said he prefers a diet consisting of organic food saying, "You’ve got to see the process of food being grown [. ] If I need nutrients, I need that from soil.

Brady's friend and former teammate, tight end Rob Gronkowski, has followed Brady and Alex Guerrero's plant-based diet plan since 2017. Other professional athletes who follow Brady's diet include quarterback Kirk Cousins and hockey player Mark Scheifele.

Notes

Further reading