Jim Gray: The Tom Brady I know – why leaving New England wasn't easy for star quarterback
Family remained the overriding factor in Tom's decision when free agency started
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Editor's note: The following is excerpted from author and sportscaster Jim Gray's "Talking to GOATs: The Moments You Remember and the Stories You Never Heard" (William Morrow, November 2020). Gray has a long professional and personal relationship with legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady. At Westwood One, Gray is the studio host for NFL Monday Night Football and the Super Bowl, with broadcast partner Tom Brady, the most decorated quarterback in Super Bowl history.
Leaving New England was difficult for Tom, but after two decades, he felt the dynamic wasn’t working anymore.
You could see this building for a couple of seasons.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}I asked in May of 2018 if he felt appreciated by the Patriots and did they have the appropriate gratitude for what he had achieved. He responded, "I plead the Fifth."
Then, after a long pause, Brady said, "That’s a tough question, but in general everyone wants to be appreciated more at work."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Was he happy? He paused for several more seconds. "I have my moments," he said. Eventually, he concluded he had to leave to grow in ways he could not have if he stayed.
The Patriots went 12–4 in his final season in New England, but Tom knew they weren’t consistent or dynamic enough to truly contend, the way they had for so many years. A deep frustration set in, which Tom expressed to me in person and on our radio show.
When free agency started, there were several teams involved. The Raiders, 49ers, and Dolphins all reached out.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Family remained the overriding factor. His son Jack lives in New York and would frequently come to Boston for visits and Gisele’s parents live in Brazil, so staying on the East Coast made things easier. But Tom is also from California—his parents and sisters still live there—so the West Coast held its own appeal, with the Niners, Raiders, and Chargers.
Ultimately, Brady picked between the Bears, the Bucs, and the Chargers, choosing Tampa Bay.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Before he told the world, he called me on FaceTime and said he had gone to see Robert Kraft, the Patriots’ owner.
Kraft thought Brady wanted to finalize a new contract, but Tom told him instead that he was leaving. He thanked Kraft. He wanted to thank Belichick, but the coach wasn’t available to meet in person, so they spoke respectfully over the phone.
That conversation marked the end of the greatest dynasty in the history of the NFL and perhaps all of sports.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tom told me he had written two statements that he planned to release, and he read them to me.
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He cruised through the one he had penned to the fans. But when he began to say what he had authored about his teammates, he started to cry and had to stop reading.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2015, file photo, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, left, and Rob Gronkowski celebrate after they defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
I sat there silent, soaking in the beauty of the statement and how much his time in New England had meant to him. At the end of our conversation, Tom told me he felt happy and relieved.
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Next? Brady was on to Tampa Bay.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}I hadn’t sensed this type of excitement with Tom in a long time. Yes, he still wants to play until he’s forty-five, but he understands the NFL is week to week.
From "TALKING TO GOATS" by Jim Gray. Copyright © 2020 by Scratchy Productions, Inc. Excerpted courtesy of William Morrow, HarperCollins Publishers.