It was an unforgettable day for young Axton when Fanatics and Make-A-Wish helped him fulfill his dream of meeting his idol Tom Brady. Axton proudly revealed “he was not nervous but excited” to meet Brady as his mom shared how Axton kept his positivity throughout the hospital stay.
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“He is still fighting. It kept his spirits alive,” she said. And the young fan got his moment, as he met Tom Brady two weeks ago. “When Brady walked into the room, I felt nervous and joy,” he admitted.
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Notably, TB12 broke the ice by asking the fan whether he gets to play football and what position. Axton, in a quick reply, exclaimed, “Linebacker.” And, Brady, as candid as ever, had an honest admission.
“I don’t like linebackers. They always try to hit the quarterbacks.”
After this special moment, Brady was told that the young fan wanted to gift him customized trading cards featuring the GOAT. “Can you autograph it for me?” asked Brady, surprising the kid.
“Should I put my first name or last name?” Axton wondered. Brady guided the boy and replied, “The whole thing. You can sign it like how you sign a check.” It was indeed a special fan moment for young Axton.
Coming back to the linebacker admission—it’s worth recalling that Brady played as a linebacker for a brief time period at Junípero Serra High School in California. Brady’s high school teammate, John Kirby, in a 2016 interview, recalled:
“I can remember freshman and sophomore year when we’d have to switch and do defensive drills. I’d do defensive back stuff and he’d be with the linebackers. He was a little stockier than most of the receivers, so they put him at linebacker.”
Speaking further, Kirby added that Brady could “hit people” and was not a “pushover.” He remembered Brady going up against the fullbacks and “laying some wood.”
“He always wanted to line up against our big fullback. They’re actually still buddies, I believe. And they would just line up before the coaches came out,” Kirby added.
Brady did have his ways of dealing with linebackers, by initiating surprise plays to avoid getting hit during the NFL. Eventually, he retired on a high with a 251-84 win-loss record which signifies his thrust on helping his team meet the winning goals. During his time in the NFL, perhaps his experience of competing as a linebacker too helped him navigate the challenge in a calm manner.
