Nowadays, the consensus seems to be that children need to compete in youth leagues and begin working with private coaches at a young age, should they wish to have a chance at becoming the next Tom Brady. Ironically, the G.O.A.T. himself didn’t begin football training until he was a freshman in high school.
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The former New England Patriot recently participated in the grand opening of The Hall of Excellence, an honorary museum in Las Vegas dedicated to celebrating some of the world’s greatest entertainers. Accompanied by sports legend Jim Gray, Brady explained that his mother was the one to blame for his late start.
Her concern for his safety was certainly natural. Moms, right? But in hindsight, it certainly was for the best that Galynn Patricia Brady eventually allowed her only son to take a risk.
“My mom didn’t let me play football until I was a high school freshman. She didn’t want her little boy to get hurt,” revealed Brady.
“I was the youngest of four with three sisters who were all better athletes than I was at the time. And I always wanted to be known as something different than Maurine, Julie, and Nancy’s little brother,” added the Patriots legend.
Brady even admitted that he once wrote “an essay in high school that said ‘You know, one day, they are going to be known as Tom Brady’s sisters’.” He confessed that he wasn’t the best of students, particularly in that English class.
Nevertheless, the seven-time Super Bowl champion is certainly grateful that he chose to focus on his P.E. classes over his primary education. His high school team may have only produced an 0-8 season, but that proved to be humble beginnings for the now household name.
“I was the backup quarterback; they never put me in the game. The fact that I can look at it many years later, from being a 14-year-old kid to almost turning 48 now, it’s pretty amazing,” said Brady.
Having retired as the most decorated quarterback in NFL history, Brady has surely accomplished his goal of making a name for himself. While Michigan certainly provided the challenges that he was looking for, everything would ultimately unfold right in front of him.
Brady’s often criticized as being one of the luckier signal callers to ever play the game. However, his work ethic and dedication to his craft seem to suggest that luck may very well have manifested from preparation and opportunity.
Despite being dealt an unfavorable hand, the kid from San Mateo, California, managed to play himself right into the record books. And that’s something that no one will ever be able to take away from him. Brady may have gotten off to a late start, but he proved to be right on time after all.
