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“They Were All Better Athletes Than I Was”: Tom Brady Revisits How His Three Sisters Fostered a ‘Caring Environment’ for Him

Robert Gullo
Published

'Punk Brat Little Brother' Tom Brady Gives a Shoutout to His Sisters Maureen, Julie and Nancy Brady With a Special 'Mental Health' Post

Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady is widely regarded as the best quarterback to ever play in the NFL — and perhaps the greatest football player of all time. Though he wasn’t a highly touted prospect coming out of college (sliding all the way to the sixth round of the 1999 NFL Draft), Brady forged his path to becoming one of the most successful athletes ever.

Brady leads nearly every major quarterback stat, including wins, passing yards, touchdowns, and Super Bowl victories (7). However, before Brady became the football legend we know today, his sister shone in the family a little brighter, displaying their athletic skills.

Brady grew up with three older sisters, and sports were a big part of their lives. In a one-on-one sit-down with The Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty, the former QB spoke about the impact his parents and sisters had on him and how they gave him a caring environment growing up. 

“They [parents] gave up everything they needed to in order for me to accomplish my goals,” Brady said. “My sisters as well. I had three older sisters that were all better athletes than I was. They just fostered this really caring environment for us throughout our entire life.” 

The three older sisters Brady looked up to are Maureen, Julie, and Nancy Brady. Maureen, the oldest, was an All-American pitcher at Fresno State University. Her daughter, Maya Brady, is following in her footsteps as a current member of the UCLA Bruins softball team.

The middle sister, Julie, tried out for the St. Mary’s College soccer team as a walk-on and eventually earned an athletic scholarship to play. She is married to former Boston Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis.

The youngest sister, Nancy, like Maureen, played softball. She earned a scholarship to play softball at UC Berkeley.

In the same episode with Kielty, Brady and the host discussed his Irish roots. His father’s side of the family came from Milltown, County Cavan, while his mother’s side is from Cork.

Brady confirmed to Kielty that his father was, in fact, 100 percent Irish, which prompted the two to talk about his background. 

“An Irish boy at heart for sure,” Brady said proudly. “50 percent but trending. The more visits I take here, the more Irish I’m becoming.”

Brady then talked about his niece Maya’s experience when she visited Ireland for some softball games. He joked that the weather wasn’t great, with it raining every day she was there, which prevented her from playing any games. Still, she had a great experience, as Brady recalled.

About the author

Robert Gullo

Robert Gullo

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Rob is an NFL Journalist for The SportsRush. He was a University of Central Connecticut State University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in sports journalism. Rob has followed football ever since he was old enough to understand the game and is a Jacksonville Jaguars fan. Rob has written over 4,000 NFL articles and has interviewed many athletes in his career such as: Tyreek Hill, Will Levis, Byron Jones, Adam Thielen, Isiah Pacheco, Caitlin Clark, and many other professional athletes. Outside of The SportsRush, Rob is involved with other sports at the high school and college level, serving as the reporter/editor of the New Britain Herald newspaper in New Britain, Connecticut. Outside of sports, Rob likes to hike, travel, work out, remain active, and hang out with friends.

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