Despite having average physical traits and being a sixth-round draft pick, Tom Brady became the G.O.A.T. of football through sheer hard work and an unmatched attention to detail. But the seven-time Super Bowl winner’s obsession with nuances didn’t just apply to game film, pre-snap reads, or knowing where all five eligibles were going before the snap. Some of his rituals led to some embarrassing moments, too.
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As his career progressed and his experience sharpened, Brady extended that same standard to everyone around him. Whether it was spending Friday nights two weeks before the Super Bowl diagnosing coverages like he was “Starlink before Starlink,” or yelling about towel placement in the middle of practice, the Patriots legend demanded precision from the guys.
And in the trenches, that meant no room for error. Especially from the guy snapping him the ball. Former New England Patriots lineman Ted Karras recently shared a moment that perfectly captured that intensity. It all started with a missing towel and ended with Brady pulling down Karras’ pants in front of 15,000 people.
“Tom was a big stickler of- your center can’t be wet,” Karras began his narration on the Games with Names podcast.
Now, a statement like this can mean a variety of things. But Karras clarified that Brady didn’t like sweat interfering with the snap. In order to prevent that, every center had to wear a towel tucked into the back of their pants to absorb moisture and keep things dry. That’s a practice that was more of a standard operating procedure than a suggestion.
“Tom takes all the centers to the side. If you’re going to play center at any point, even just an undrafted guy, he’ll teach you how to fold it and put it into your ass,” revealed Karras.
But during one open practice at Gillette Stadium, Karras slipped. He either forgot the towel or didn’t set it up correctly. Whatever the case, Brady noticed immediately, and he didn’t pull him aside quietly.
“I was on Tom’s team and apparently too wet for him,” Karras recounted. “He literally pulls me off to the sideline, screams in my face that I’m a sweaty pig…”
And then came the part no one expected: “…And then pulls my pants out and powders my a*s with baby powder in front of everyone.”
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Julian Edelman, listening to the story, could only respond with: “Oh my God. What were you thinking [then]?”
The former Patriots star sheepishly admitted that the moment stung, both literally and figuratively. Even more so, with thousands of fans watching.
“I was kind of embarrassed. I mean, all the fans were looking… like 15,000 people at Gillette Stadium. But I would always just do whatever he said,” admitted Karras.
The moment Karras blurted out his spotless loyalty to Brady as a reason for him being okay with the embarrassment, Edelman hilariously jumped in and said: “We all did [whatever he said]. And we just liked that he was talking to us.”
Karras laughed, nodding, “Oh, me too. I’ll do whatever you want, man.”
That said, based on the story, it seems very likely that for Brady, it wasn’t about ego. It was about control.
The legendary quarterback studied defenses better than they knew themselves, spotted blitzes before the snap, and wanted to eliminate every variable, even if it comes down to the sweat on a center’s lower back. And if that meant pulling someone aside and applying baby powder himself, he wasn’t above it.
Just G.O.A.T. things!
