Getty Image
Tom Brady is one of the most legendary NFL players of all time thanks in no small part to the borderline psychotic drive that compelled him to do whatever he needed to in order to win. While that mindset obviously applied on the football field, it extended to other sports as well—including a golf tournament where the stakes were about as low as they get.
It’s kind of hard to judge or blame TB12 when you consider he won seven Super Bowls and reportedly made more than $500 million from the contracts and endorsement deals he signed over the course of his hallowed career.
However, he was also seemingly unable to flip his competitive switch to the “OFF” position (a trait he shared with another G.O.A.T. in the form of Michael Jordan), and while part of me wishes I had that gene because I would be way more successful than I am, it also has the potential to create some pretty interesting—and, at times, harrowing—situations.
That includes the time Brady found himself roaming the links at Pebble Beach while participating in the celebrity Pro-Am that’s held there each year and couldn’t stop himself from risking life and limb despite sharing a foursome with his own head coach.
Tom Brady hung off a cliff to hit a shot at Pebble Beach during a golf tournament
Getty Image
Anyone who’s familiar with Bill Belichick knows he’s not a huge fan of talking with the media, so when someone agrees to get him to sit down for a podcast, you’re usually in for a treat.
In 2018, NFL insider Ian Rapoport convinced the longtime Patriots head coach to be the guest of honor on the first episode of the RapSheet and Friends podcast, which featured a wide-ranging conversation where Belichick recounted what transpired when he and Brady took on Pebble Beach together.
That course boasts some breathtaking holes with incredible views of the Pacific Ocean (which also serves as one of the biggest water hazards you’ll ever encounter), and there aren’t many that stick out like the par-5 sixth, which features steep cliffs on the right side of the fairway you obviously want to avoid.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly where Brady ended up during the round in question.
If you’re familiar with the format of the Pro-Am, you likely know it follows “best ball” rules that allow celebrity participants to take advantage of the skills of the pros they’re paired with, but as Belichick recalled, the QB wasn’t interested in taking the easy way out.
“Tom hit his second shot over [to the right], and I see a starting quarterback, a Super Bowl MVP, a league MVP literally hanging over the side of the cliff probably 200-300 feet above the ocean trying to hit a golf ball that’s a pretty meaningless shot because the pro already is going to do better than he would on the hole…
I was just thinking to myself, This is a crazy sight that I’m looking at here.’
He hit the ball and then his caddy kind of walked over there and gave him a hand and helped him back up this cliff that he was a few feet down on, or below. I certainly breathed a little bit easier when he came up for air on that one.”
That’s how competitive Tom Brady is. There’s no video of the shot in question, so even though it might seem dramatic to suggest he could have died, there was really no reason for him to put himself in that position in the first place.
Most people would view a Pro-Am as an excuse to have some fun while walking the course with some of the best golfers on the planet, but as we’ve learned by now, Brady is not most people.