Aaron Donald Opens Up About Him Hating Tom Brady And His Depression After Losing Super Bowl LIII: “Was Emotional Time For Me”

Aaron Donald has been a force to reckon with in the football world for a decade. His presence was so dominating that even quarterbacks like Tom Brady didn’t want to mess with him. But the NFL GOAT did give AD a chip on his shoulder.

In his chat with his wife Erica, via his personal YouTube channel, AD recalled the time when Tom Brady caused him depression after the Los Angeles Rams lost the Super Bowl LIII to the Patriots, a bout that gave TB12 his sixth ring.

“We went to a Super Bowl we lost,” AD said. “Was an emotional time for me. I feel like I don’t like to say but I kind of went through a little depression stage I guess you can say. Not just because of how we losing but a lot of stuff that was just going on it was just like piling on on top of each other.”

Losing a Super Bowl is never easy, and when it comes to one of the most competitive players in the league, there are surely some stones left unturned.

He added: “Early in my career I would look at guys’ stats and try to chase stats and things like that but um after losing that I was like only thing I’m chasing is like, the only person that motivated me was Tom Brady, a guy that won at that time six Super Bowls. I was just trying to you know find a way to experience winning one. So I kind of hated Tom Brady for like two years after that I ain’t going to lie I did. So yeah, it was tough though, but he showed some love to me.”

Despite all the competition on the field, Tom Brady never failed to give recognition to extraordinary talents, and Aaron Donald was no different. AD received heaps of praise from the star QB after the Super Bowl loss which even the beast DT appreciated.

Tom Brady Showed Love To Aaron Donald After Super Bowl LIII

When Donald’s wife Erica curiously asked about what Tom Brady said to him after the Super Bowl, AD only had nice things to remember.

“He didn’t get to see me after the game,” Aaron Donald recalled. “He was just saying, ‘How hell of a football player you are.’ Just respect type of thing, and just saying, ‘You’ll get you one just keep working,’ kind of thing you’ll be in another one.”

And just like how Tom Brady said, Aaron Donald went back to win the Super Bowl with QB Matthew Stafford just three years later.

It was certainly a big achievement for AD after which he felt as if his football plate was full. It was around that time that he started contemplating retirement which happened after the 2023 season.