A GOAT, his kids, and Humane Society dogs and cats ’22 tale
Tom Brady might be the GOAT, but he spent a lot of the 2022 NFL season with cats and dogs.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion quietly volunteered at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay with his kids while he was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Brady volunteered “two or three times a month” with his two youngest children, Ben and Vivian, and purposely asked for the public not to know about his philanthropic work.
The trio, who was sometimes joined by Brady’s oldest child, Jack, would walk, wash and play with the furry friends.
“They would spend an hour and a half, two hours, literally hanging out and helping the animals,” Humane Society CEO Sherry Silk said. “It was just so rewarding to see that.”
Buccaneers cornerback Logan Ryan was the one who connected Brady to the organization. Ryan has his own animal rescue foundation and helped the Humane Society promote its adoption drive at the team’s practice facility.
Ryan’s wife, Ashley, is the vice president of the Ryan Animal Rescue Foundation. Earlier this month when Brady announced his retirement for a second time, she posted a photo on Instagram to share about Brady’s time at the Humane Society.
“I guess I’ll chime in with my Tom Brady story,” she said for the caption of a photo with her family and Brady’s holding puppies, “... These pictures were from August and we didn’t take many more after that. Not publicly at least. It wasn’t about publicity, fundraising or recognition. It was about being a human being. It was about Tom taking the very thing his little girl loves the most and turning it into an opportunity to spend time together. It was about Tom reaching out to his friend, asking how to get involved, helping his community by giving something far more meaningful than money.. his time.”
Even as Brady settles back into retired life in South Florida, his heart for the animals remains. Last week, Brady posted on Instagram that he adopted two Siamese kittens from the Humane Society.
“Vivi wins again,” he wrote in an Instagram story, hinting that his daughter convinced him to welcome the new members to the family.