Darragh MacAnthony Admits “He Wasn’t Going to Be Like a Fanboy” With Tom Brady; Says He Couldn’t Got a Photo of TB12 With His Daughters

Braden Ramsey | 22/04/2025
Nov 27, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady watches the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the New York Knicks during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center.

Tom Brady has accomplished everything he possibly could have in the NFL. Despite this, he has returned to the league as both a broadcaster and owner. However, his version of football isn’t the only sport in which he has aspirations of a championship.

In Aug. 2023, Brady became a shareholder in Birmingham City F.C. He joined Tom Wagner as a co-owner and was immediately appointed as chair of the club’s advisory board. Wagner added that Brady would, per ESPN, “have a direct impact on the club’s men’s, women’s and academy teams as well as their global marketing and commercial efforts.”

Brady has been involved with the European Football League (EFL) since then. His NFL fame has made him a popular meet-and-greet candidate for soccer players and fans across the pond. However, one of the league’s most iconic chairmen, Darragh MacAnthony, wasn’t falling for the hype. His admission came on his Hard Truth podcast.

“I wasn’t going to be like a fanboy. Lots of people were fanboys around Tom Brady, trying to get pictures and videos… I can’t do that. The only person I did that was with Glen Powell, the Hollywood actor from Top Gun. My daughters were basically like, ‘oh my God. Glen Powell’s here, Dad’… I struck up a chat with him, and then the girls came over… but TB12, I didn’t do that with,” MacAnthony said.

MacAnthony, of Peterborough United F.C., shares a peer-to-peer relationship with Brady. As competitors, it makes sense that he wouldn’t want to stroke Brady’s plumage. Brady can surely respect his position.

Brady’s first season with Birmingham City F.C., like his debut campaign for the Las Vegas Raiders, wasn’t ideal. The Blues finished 22nd in the EFL Championship tier. Their third-to-last finish meant relegation to tier three (named League One). Fortunately, with Brady’s oversight, the Blues won League One in 2024-25. They recently reached 99 points to extend their lead over second-place Wrexham.

Brady spoke with SkySports about his club’s turnaround last week. He focused on how nutritional improvements – something he spearheaded – enabled the team to have success.

“It’s obviously very important how you take care of yourself and the processes you set for players, which allows them to go out and practice hard every day and… to play as hard as they can every week. A lot of it was taking the lessons I learned [from the NFL]… and I tried to employ those the best I could… for the entire team for the benefit of the whole organization.” – Tom Brady

Birmingham City F.C. won’t get the opportunity to repeat as League One champions because of their dominant campaign. But they’d much rather battle for a possible promotion to the Premier League in 2025-26, anyway. With Brady in their corner, they have exciting things to look forward to for years to come.

Post Edited By: Nidhi
Birmingham City Darragh MacAnthony New England Patriots The Hard Truth Tom Brady

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Braden Ramsey

Braden Ramsey has always been a big NFL fan. He has written about the league for various outlets, and covered the sport at a number of levels throughout his life. His favorite team is the Baltimore Ravens. When he's not writing, Braden can be found enjoying comedy of all kinds and hanging out with friends.

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