On St. Patricks Day, 2020 Tom Brady shocked the New England sports world by announcing that he will not return to the Patriots.
Rather than going into why the two sides couldn’t work out a deal, I wanted to tell the story of what it was like to cover Brady during his final year with the Patriots. Being a newbie to the sports media world, I had the opportunity to cover practices and games during the 2019 season. I remember being extremely nervous walking into Gillette Stadium my first time in the fall, thinking to myself what it would be like standing in the press conference room with the best quarterback of all time.
Being a kid from Richmond, Virginia, who adored Boston sports, I didn’t understand what Tom Brady meant to Bostonians until I became one. Living in Boston and living through Sunday’s when the Brady-led Patriots would take the field is something any football fan can’t put into words. The nostalgia of seeing the #12 jersey run across the sideline and give a fist bump to the crowd is worth the price of admission itself.
Tom Brady was the sports culture in Boston and the epitome of what Boston sports have grown to be. A kid drafted 199th overall in the 2000 NFL draft, given no shot to become the greatest of all time became the greatest of all time. Both Brady and the Patriots were irrelevant in a city/ region that had nothing before quarterback reigned supreme with sidekick Bill Belichick. Brady made a whole region care about football.
It first hit me when I covered a fall practice in 2019 in what was my first real-time covering a professional sports team. Not scheduled to speak to the media that day, I saw a humble Tom Brady in the locker room talking to teammates. A shy bystander, I watched Brady closely in what was one of my first times in close quarters with the GOAT. Expecting the locker room and personalities to revolve Brady, it was quite the opposite.
Sunny day in Foxborough pic.twitter.com/cIzttkK3qk
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) September 25, 2019
After interviewing new Center Ted Karras about his new starting role, I watched Brady walk over to each individual in the locker room to ask how their time with the Patriots has been. After a short conversation with every player, I realized that if a player of this caliber takes the time to talk to his teammates on a personal level after a mere fall practice, I can’t imagine what he did in each of those nine super bowl appearances. Shortly after the media liaison said Brady would be speaking to the media that day, I stayed back as many reporters rushed to the conference room to hear him speak.
Being shy as I am in new environments, I started to make my way to the media room. Directly beside me walked a 6’4 stature that spoke and said: “hey buddy, how are you.” Not thinking of the professional tone I needed to have, I responded: “hey GOAT, how are you.” Brady chuckled and we both made our way into the conference room side by side. During that press conference, Brady was light-hearted and full of joy to start the 2019-20 season. That short conversation we had together carried into the conference room as he asked me and then other reporters if we were staying hydrated by drinking water.
To be fair, I was one of the reporters that held up water during this press conference when @TomBrady asked the media if they were staying hydrated properly.
Drink water, kids. pic.twitter.com/fK8LWb4ZlN
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) September 25, 2019
The 2019-20 season went on to have its ups and downs, eventually ending as I watched Brady throw an interception in what would be his last pass as a New England Patriot. So why am I speaking solely about a 12-4 season in which the Patriots were bounced in the first round? Because it’s personal connections like these that Brady has left for countless fans, reporters, Gillette stadium employees and so many more that represented what it means to be a Bostonian and a Patriot fanatic.
Hardworking, passionate, gritty, affectionate. These are all characteristics of a New Englander that Tom Brady portrayed throughout his entire 20-year career with the Patriots. Thanks for all the memories, Tom and thanks for making a kid from rural Virginia embody the attributes of a true Bostonian.
- 6 time Super Bowl champion
- 9 Super Bowl Appearances
- 4 time Super Bowl MVP
- 3 time NFL MVP
- 14-time pro bowler
- 17 division titles
- 13 AFC championship appearances
- 30 playoff wins
- 255-89 record (.741)
The greatest quarterback of all-time.
