With all his accomplishments and numerous records in the NFL, Tom Brady is arguably the GOAT of the league. He is considered one of the best athletes in the world, often in parallel with legends such as Roger Federer, Sachin Tendulkar and Michael Jordan. However, despite his accomplishments and various accolades, Brady is hesitant to acknowledge the title.
Fresh off his 13-3 Super Bowl LIII victory against the LA Rams in February 2019, Brady revealed that he doesn’t like being tagged with the title. In an exclusive interview with Good Morning America, he said:
“I don’t even like it; I’m embarrassed.”
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Brady believes the title can negatively affect his performance, as he is driven more by criticism than praise.
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“I’d like you to say, ‘You’re trash, you’re too old, you’re too slow, you can’t do it anymore,'” Brady said. “And I’d say, ‘Thank you. lot; I’ll prove you wrong.’”
Brady shined brightest during the second half of his career. Over the years it aged like a good wine with experience. Alex Guerrero’s flexibility therapy helped Brady stay fit and injury-free, so he never let the age factor get to him.
Brady believes he is his biggest critic and that motivates him to bring out the best in him.
“The personal criticism, I mean, I think I’ll walk off the practice field and say, ‘That was the worst day, you know, like you have a good mind,'” he said. “Sports have always brought that out. in me.”
Tom Brady stands up to silence the skeptics
A careful observation of Tom Brady’s career path shows that he rose through the ranks when he was most doubted. After being selected 199th overall in the 2000 draft, Brady was benched until an injury to Drew Bledsoe in the 2001-02 season gave him a chance. Brady led the Patriots to Super Bowl XXXVI, which kicked off the epic Brady-Belichick era.
Another case occurred during the latter part of his career when he left the Patriots. Fans doubted Brady could be the same without Belichick and the Patriots, and he proved them wrong again. He joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and led them to a Super Bowl win in his first season.
These Super Bowl victories highlight an intrinsic Brady trait of answering doubters.
Edited by Krutik Jain.