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Retired NFL tight end Kyle Rudolph provided a glimpse into his experience playing alongside Tom Brady during the 2022 season with the Buccaneers, in an interview with NBC’s Peter King.
This season marked the end of both Rudolph and Brady’s NFL careers.
Rudolph recounted how things went day to day around Brady’s locker, saying, “Tom had an empty locker next to him. I would look over there and every day, guys would put helmets, jerseys, pictures, footballs, all the stuff they wanted Tom to sign for them.”
Rudolph continued: “There’d be notes on the stuff, a post-it note on a football—‘Sign this for Jimmy, it’s his birthday.’ At the end of the day, almost every day, he’d sit there and sign everything.”
Rudolph went on to express his admiration for Brady’s character, emphasizing the quarterback’s unwavering respect for everyone in the organization.
He said, “My experience with Tom was incredible. First, the way he treated people. The way he treated the Glazer family [Bucs owners] is exactly the way he treated the janitor at 6:30 at night when he and maybe one or two other guys were the last players in the building.”
Despite the challenges in Brady’s personal life, including going through a divorce during the season, Rudolph commended his ability to maintain a positive attitude within the team.
Rudolph stated: “If anyone had the right to sometimes be an a—hole, it was Tom. He never was. Think of how tough a year it was for him off the field. The most amazing thing to me was, with all the negativity swirling around his life outside of football, he never carried it into the building. Always positive.”
“I didn’t think it’d be possible when I walked into the team to be more impressed with Tom. But I was.”
Rudolph, who had the honor of catching Tom Brady’s last regular-season touchdown pass, has transitioned into a broadcasting career following his retirement from professional football.
Brady’s legacy, both on and off the field, continues to leave a lasting impact on those who had the privilege of working alongside him.