Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady was one of the most competitive athletes during his time. And like most competitive athletes, he could sometimes be a sore loser. While Brady was a fierce competitor against his opponents and with his teammates, it would sometimes get the best of him.
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One time it happened in the New England Patriots locker room as he destroyed some equipment due to a friendly competition with newly acquired wide receiver, Danny Amendola. Each NFL locker room has its fair share of fun and games, and the Patriots, at the time, had a ping pong table. During Amendola’s first week as a Patriot during the 2013 season, Brady invited him to play in a friendly game of ping pong in the Patriots locker room to break the ice.
Amendola, knowing how good he is at ping pong, had a problem at hand. He knew that he was much better than Brady with the tiny ball and paddle, but didn’t want to beat him too badly while breaking the ice with his new quarterback.
After the two competed against each other in ping pong, Amendola got the better of Brady, who, according to the former WR, broke a paddle as a result of frustration. Brady threw his paddle on the floor, which resulted in it breaking in half.
“He’s so competitive …It was my first week in the building and he wanted to play some ping pong. I didn’t really know how to go about it. I knew I was better than him, I didn’t want to beat him too badly because I wanted him to throw me the ball … I knew I was better. Needless to say, his competitive nature unleashed a broken paddle by the end of it. It’s the reason why we love him and the reason why he’s the best quarterback,” Amendola recalled to ESPN.
NFL journalist Albert Breer, who is now a writer for Sports Illustrated, covered the Patriots for a long time as a contributor to the Boston Herald. He revealed:
“I remember hearing later on, about Danny Amendola beating Tom Brady in ping pong. He’s celebrating, and he didn’t see it coming but Brady threw his paddle at Amendola and it came at him so hard, that Danny will tell you this, that he could hear it whizz past his ear.”
Despite the two’s first meeting ending in Brady getting out of hand and unleashing some anger, the two would develop a close friendship on and off the field. From 2013-2017, the two would play in three Super Bowls together with the Patriots, winning two of them (Super Bowl XLIX, Super Bowl LI).
Amendola had some of his most productive seasons of his NFL career with Brady and the Patriots. In five seasons in New England, Amendola had 230 receptions, 2,383 yards, and 12 receiving touchdowns.
After spending some time in New England, Amendola signed with their rival, the Miami Dolphins, for the 2018 season. He then spent two seasons with the Detroit Lions before spending a final season in 2021 with the Houston Texans.
