FELLOW HUB CELEBS BIG FANS OF BRADY
City’s fellow celebrities effuse on Pats quarterback
Tom Brady has a chance tonight to put himself in a pantheon where no other quarterback resides. If he wins championship No. 5, he’ll stand alone, above all others in the Super Bowl era.
So with the possibility of Brady cementing his legacy as the greatest of all time, we thought it might be interesting to talk to some other star athletes in the Boston market, as well as other noted players and personalities who have crossed paths with the Patriots quarterback, to get their take on No. 12, and hear their stories about the legend.
With that, we will just sit back, and let them have the floor: • Ex-Red Sox ace and Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez: “I’ve met Tom a bunch of times but the first time was after they won in 2002. They came over to Fenway. I remember they all signed the football, and we were throwing it around. The ball ended up in my locker. So I kept it. That’s the first time I got to meet him.
“Then the Patriots kept winning and became this huge monster in football, and I was the lucky one with the ball. But Tom Brady, I think he’s one of those guys, who comes around once in a thousand years, and so is his (coach). They’re made for each other, and Brady is one of the greatest things that’s happened for the sport.
“I don’t have enough words to describe how good he is. I’m just sorry that we drafted him (with the Expos) in ’94-95, and he never went to play. We heard enough about him, and the team couldn’t sign him. He went to football, and I got to experience him (in Boston), but you know what, if Brady was a pitcher, he would have been better than he was a quarterback.
“Having 300 guys coming at you trying to hurt you, and being able to place the ball like he does, I think it’s unreal, it’s out of the ordinary. Every time I watch him, I get more and more impressed.”
• Red Sox legend David Ortiz: “He’s a guy who’s really worried about this city winning championships. When he heard I was having issues
with my feet last year, he wanted his doctor to look at me and check me out. He got in touch with me through (Dustin) Pedroia and also texted me. So him knowing I was going through that situation, him knowing how important I was for the Red Sox he was trying to help somehow, some way. I didn’t see the doctor, it was going to be hard for me to do so in the middle of the season. I was going to have to travel somewhere, but he gave me the opportunity. That says a lot.”
• Bruins captain Zdeno Chara: “I actually met him in New York, when I was 20 years old. It was 1997-98. I was playing with the Islanders. We had a common friend, and he introduced us. It was pretty cool.
“He wasn’t the superstar he is today, but everyone had predicted him to be really good. It was a quick conversation after a game. But now I look back, and he’s someone I really admire because of how much work he puts in, and how passionate he is about winning. He’s someone I look up to and idolize.
“But one thing I know from that meeting, and seeing that young face, he had a certain calmness about
him. And, then, there was something about his eyes. You could tell by looking at his eyes, he was very driven and very dedicated and determined. That’s what I remember most about seeing him that first time, before he was Tom Brady.”
• Bruins legend Ray Bourque: “I met him at Fenway, in the Red Sox dugout. We were there together, and I spoke to him for about five minutes or so.
“You know how you sometimes have these expectations about people? ... I wasn’t disappointed how he was. I was very impressed with the guy. His character, his class. And now, when I think about what he’s doing as a player, there’s nobody better.
“I know what you have to do to play at that age. I played until I was 40. He’s 39. It’s crazy. To watch him, and see him improve in the last few years, with his diet and workout regimen, you have to be so dedicated and so disciplined and so passionate. I’ll tell you, as you age, it’s tough to keep that fire burning the way it does for him. I haven’t seen anyone that age have that fire, that determination and that passion in how he goes about his busi-
ness. As a coach, you dream about having somebody like that lead your team.”
• Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge: “I had met Tom a handful of times when he came to Celtics games. We’d often talk about getting together to play golf, but our schedules don’t seem to coincide.
“Having watched him and observed him, I think Tom has managed himself in a difficult city, in a quarterback position, as well as a person can handle the situation. We use Tom Brady clips giving media training to our players. We’ve asked our star players who have lived in the city to handle themselves like him, and shown clips and talked about how Tom has dealt with all the adversities and different challenges that have faced him, and how he’s handled success.
“So Tom has been great for us. He’s been a great light in that regard . . . I think all the guys who were with us with Tom last year, Isaiah (Thomas), Jae Crowder, Kelly Olynyk, Marcus (Smart), as we were going to recruit Kevin Durant, I think it served a double-purpose for me.
“We spent three or four hours with Tom, talking about a lot of different things from taking care of your body, dealing with the media, handling the city of Boston, all sorts of things. So he was great with our guys, but he was also great with Kevin Durant. I think it had an impact on Kevin Durant, and I know it had an impact on our players and our coaches. I think everyone appreciated his willingness to share his time to help the Boston Celtics. Those are valuable times for a guy in his offseason. We were grateful for his efforts.
“He certainly won over all the Celtics. We didn’t get Kevin Durant, but it was still a win for us for sure, just having him being around us.”
• Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas: “I met him last summer. He’s just a real genuine guy. Usually guys who are really good at what they do, they’re (expletives), but he’s just the opposite. He was real genuine. He answered every question I asked, and he had questions for me. We exchanged numbers, and to this day, we’re still in touch. I texted him the day before the (AFC Championship) Game, and he shot back, ‘We’re going to go get this one. I can’t wait.’ That type of confidence, you know he’s one of the greatest to ever play. And he’s such a good person, you want to model yourself after a guy like that. I mean, he just has this aura around him. You can tell he’s great.”
• Celtics forward Jae Crowder: “He’s a legend here and a guy I look up to. I had the opportunity to work with him when we were trying to recruit (Durant). It was my first interaction with him. I was on the plane with him, so I got to pick his brain. He’s very intelligent, he’s very tuned into a lot of different things. So for me, to have the opportunity to be alongside of him, to pick his brain, it was great for me.
“He was very laid back, very chill. I could see how I could do things his way. He talked about how he doesn’t
like to lift weights a lot. Football players like to lift weights, but that’s not what he’s about. He’s about flexibility. We talked about the body a lot. We talked about a lot of different things — how he eats, how he preps. He feels like he knows his body better than anybody. He’s just big on doing things his own way. You can tell he has a good routine. He has a steady diet of life, family and football.” • Patriots Hall of Famer
Willie McGinest: “I remember after we’d win the AFC Championship or a big game like that, he’d rent out a room at Abe & Louie’s. He’s all about team. That’s Tom. He’s always been about his brothers, being together, family. He’d like to get together in a private setting without everyone around, without media, or any of that stuff. He liked those close, intimate spots where we’d get together, unwind and talk and hang out. Those are special moments that you think about once you leave the game. Our camaraderie was strong. Tom was always at the forefront of promoting team.
“Then, I remember the time we were doing, I think it was a Visa commercial. They wanted me, (Tedy) Bruschi, and Rodney (Harrison) from the defensive side, and Tom from the offense. They just wanted Tom, and Tom wouldn’t do it unless they had the entire offensive line do it. So that’s just some of the little things, the things he did for his teammates. ‘If you want me, you gotta take them, too.’ It’s always team with him.’’
• Best Buddies International Founder Anthony Shriver: “When you go into Tom’s box, you see people who’ve been there his whole lifetime from employees, to his hair guy, his parents, Best Buddies . . . he’s super loyal.
“People probably don’t focus on that quality, but I think that contributes in an enormous way to his success, that sense of loyalty. He’s been at it with us for over a decade.
“Tom’s also a really genuine guy. In today’s day and age, you meet so many people who are successful, you’re never quite sure if they’re coming at you with the real deal or is there some other agenda, or are they working you over for something else?
“Well, he’s a straightshooter. You get what you get, you get what you see with Tom. He really understands the impact he can have on the Buddies and other people. He uses it in a really positive way. ... I remember this past year, his Buddy Katie Meade was hit by a car. It was in the middle of when he was suspended. I really didn’t want to bother him, but I sent him a quick note about it. And he was great. He asked me to send her number. Well, he sent her a video and called her. It’s little things like that, it goes back to his sense of loyalty. He’s super loyal to her, he’s known her so long. He genuinely cares about her, and I think it’s an expression of his humility, too. He doesn’t feel so great about himself that he can’t take the time to do something
like that for someone who doesn’t have any power, or prestige, or money, or access. We’re just super lucky to have him.”
• Comedian Lenny
Clarke: “He’s such a great guy, but everyone knows that. So let me tell you how funny he is. Tom asked me if I would do an event for his sister. I think they were getting computers for a village in Africa. . . . Anyway, he was there with his wife (Gisele Bundchen). They were having a good time. And he called me over and said, ‘Tell me a joke, Lenny.’ So I told him a joke. Then he says, ‘I don’t like it. Take a lap, and come back with a better joke.’ I thought that was hysterical. Oh my god, are you kidding me, come back with a better joke? I thought it was a pretty good joke, but that’s Tom Brady. ‘Hey Lenny, come back with something better.’ What a great sense of humor.
“I mean, this guy, I can’t say enough good things about him. He’s such a class act. He’s the most fantastic person. You know, I want the (Lombardi) Trophy for all of us, but I want him to win for what they put him through. And if he wins a fifth, there’s no more questions. He will be the greatest of all time.”