Better late than never! Tom Brady revealed during an event at the Tribeca Film Festival on Tuesday, April 19, that he considers himself a “late bloomer” when it comes to sports.
“I didn’t start playing football until my freshman year of high school,” he said at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation premiere of Keepers of the Game while on a panel alongside Serena Williams, Missy Franklin and other famous athletes. “I didn’t even know how to put the pads in my pants when I showed up to my first day of practice!”
The 38-year-old New England Patriots quarterback added that he was a backup quarterback on his freshman team, which went 0-8 his first season.
“That tells you how bad our team was, that I couldn’t even get on the lineup and we didn’t even win a game!” he said.
There was one person who always had faith in his athletic prowess, however: His mom.
“My mom was always the one that said, ‘You can do it. You can do it, sweetheart,’” he recalled. “She still says that! I would say, ‘Mom — guys like Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, they make all these great plays with their feet.’ And [she’d say], ‘Well, you’re just as fast as they are!’ I said, ‘Mom, I don’t know what you’re watching.’”
Brady suffered a devastating loss to the Denver Broncos earlier this year, but his wife, Gisele Bündchen, has been by his side through it all.
“I can’t handle it, so much love #family #love,” the 35-year-old model captioned a snapshot of the athlete cuddling up with their two kids, Benjamin, 6, and Vivian, 3. “Eu não aguento, é muito amor! #família #amor."
