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It’s pretty tough to become one of the most accomplished professional athletes of all time without possessing a borderline unhealthy competitive spirit, and based on the many stories that have surfaced over the years concerning Tom Brady, it’s safe to say the legendary quarterback checks that particular box.
It’s highly unlikely any QB will be able to break the many, many records Brady set during the 23 seasons he spent in New England and Tampa Bay, and he can credit the many achievements he racked up over the course of his illustrious career to his tireless work ethic and a devotion to football that may have played a role in his marriage falling apart.
Virtually every single person who played with or coached the G.O.A.T. has at least one Tom Brady story they can deploy to sum up what set him apart from the rest of the pack.
Most of those tales involve Brady’s passion for the game that made him a household name, but his competitive streak extended to other pastimes as well.
Danny Amendola said he once had to dodge a ping pong paddle that got chucked at his head after beating his teammate at table tennis, and former Patriots backup QB Damon Huard described Brady as a “psychotic competitor” while recalling the time the face of the franchise tossed a backgammon game across the locker room after losing.
However, Huard also has another incredible tale about a charity basketball game Brady really, really did not want to lose toward the beginning of his career.
Tom Brady took a charity basketball game against a group of firefighters very, very seriously
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Huard spent a few seasons playing alongside Brady in New England between 2001 and 2003 and had a front-row seat to his teammates ascent after losing the quarterback competition that would eventually result in the 199th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft stepping up to replace an injured Drew Bledsoe and never looking back.
In 2001, Huard sat down with ESPN to shed some light on what it was like to play with Brady during a conversation where he recounted the time the duo found themselves participating against a group of firefighters in a charity basketball game somewhere in Massachusetts.
While the Patriots may have had some pretty solid chemistry on the gridiron, it apparently didn’t translate to the hardwood, and the team found themselves trailing the opposition before Brady made it very clear he wasn’t planning on leaving the gym without a win.
Here’s what Huard said about what transpired:
“[We were] at a charity basketball game in East Walpole or something like that.
In the third quarter, we’re losing to these middle-aged, overweight firemen. Tom Brady let us have it; ‘Guys, we’re not losing to the fire department! We’re professional athletes!
Sure enough, he starts knocking down this bank-shot three-pointer, and I think we walked away with the victory that afternoon against a small-town Massachusetts fire department for charity.
Tom was not going to let us lose.”
Tom Brady is truly built different.