Tom Brady

Brady in 2017
No. 12 – New England Patriots
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	(1977-08-03) August 3, 1977 (age 41) San Mateo, California
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:	Junípero Serra (San Mateo, California)
College:	Michigan
NFL Draft:	2000 / Round: 6 / Pick: 199
Career history
New England Patriots (2000–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
5× Super Bowl champion (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI) 4× Super Bowl MVP (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XLIX, LI) 3× NFL Most Valuable Player (2007, 2010, 2017) 14× Pro Bowl (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009–2018) 3× First-team All-Pro (2007, 2010, 2017) 2× Second-team All-Pro (2005, 2016) 2× NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2007, 2010) NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2009) Bert Bell Award (2007) Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year (2007) Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year (2005) 3× NFL passing yards leader (2005, 2007, 2017) 4× NFL passing touchdowns leader (2002, 2007, 2010, 2015) 2× NFL passer rating leader (2007, 2010) NFL 2000s All-Decade Team National champion (1997) NFL records Best touchdown to interception ratio in a single season: 28:2[1] Most games won by a quarterback: 232[2] Most Super Bowl wins by a quarterback: 5 Most Super Bowl MVP awards: 4 Most Super Bowl appearances: 8
Career NFL statistics as of 2018
Passing attempts: 9,375 Passing completions: 6,004 Completion percentage: 64.0 TD–INT: 517–171 Passing yards: 70,514 Passer rating: 97.6 Rushing yards: 1,003 Rushing touchdowns: 19 Player stats at NFL.com

Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He is one of only two players in NFL history to have won five Super Bowls (along with defensive player Charles Haley), and he is the only player to have won them all with a single franchise. Because of his numerous accomplishments and accolades, many analysts and sportswriters consider Brady to be among the greatest quarterbacks of all time.^[3][4][5][6]

After playing college football for the University of Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Due to his late draft selection, Brady is considered to be the biggest "steal" in the history of the NFL Draft.^[7][8][9] In Brady's sixteen seasons as a starter,^[a] he has quarterbacked the Patriots to eight Super Bowl appearances, the most for any player in history. Brady is also one of only two quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl in their first season as a starter, the other being Kurt Warner.

Brady has been honored with four Super Bowl MVP awards (Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, XLIX, and LI), the most ever by a single player, has won three league MVP awards (2007, 2010, 2017), has been selected to 14 Pro Bowls, and has led his team to more division titles (15) than any other quarterback in NFL history. Brady is fourth all-time in total career passing yards in regular season play, is tied for third in career touchdown passes, and fourth in career passer rating. He is first all-time in career passing yards (regular season and postseason combined). His career postseason record is 27–10, winning more playoff games than any other quarterback, and he has appeared in more playoff games than any player at any position. Brady has never had a losing season as a starting quarterback in the NFL. His combined regular-season and postseason wins are also the most of any quarterback in NFL history. Brady is the first and only quarterback to reach 200 regular season wins.^[12] Brady also holds the record of being the oldest player to win the Super Bowl MVP at 39 years of age, and the oldest player to win the regular season MVP at the age of 40.^[13]

For his alleged involvement in the highly publicized Deflategate football tampering scandal, Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 NFL season.^[14] Subsequently, Brady went on to play in the next two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl LI and losing Super Bowl LII.

Early life

Brady was born in San Mateo, California on August 3, 1977, the only son and fourth child of Galynn Patricia (née Johnson) and Thomas Brady, Sr.^[15] He has three older sisters, named Nancy, Julie, and Maureen.^[16] He was raised Catholic. His father is of Irish descent, while his mother has German, Norwegian, Polish and Swedish ancestry.^[17] A set of Brady's great-great-grandparents on his father's side, John and Bridget Brady, were Irish refugees from the Great Famine who moved to San Francisco from Boston prior to the American Civil War. They were accompanied by Bridget's sister Ann and her husband Lawrence Meegan, the parents of the 19th Century American Major League Baseball player "Steady" Pete Meegan. Brady's great uncle, Michael Buckley Jr. was, also, the first American prisoner of war during World War II.^{[17][18][19][20][21][22]}

In the 1980s, Brady regularly attended San Francisco 49ers games at Candlestick Park, where he was a fan of quarterback Joe Montana; since then, Brady mentioned Montana as his idol and one of his inspirations.^[23] At the age of four, Brady attended the 1981 NFC Championship against the Dallas Cowboys, in which Montana threw The Catch to Dwight Clark.^[24] As a child, Brady attended football camp at the College of San Mateo where he learned to throw the football from camp counselor and future NFL/AFL quarterback Tony Graziani.^[25] He grew up as a Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics fan.^[26]

Brady attended Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, where he graduated in 1995; the ceremony was held at St. Mary's Cathedral.^[27] He played football, basketball, and baseball in high school. He played against Bellarmine College Preparatory rival Pat Burrell in both football and baseball. Brady's football career started as the backup quarterback on the Padres junior varsity team. At first, Brady was not good enough to start on the 0–8 JV team that had not scored a touchdown all year.^[28] However, when the starting quarterback went down with an injury, he ascended to the starting position. He became the varsity starter his junior year and held the position until he graduated.^[29] By Brady's senior year, he struggled getting on the radar of college coaches. He created highlight tapes and sent them out to schools he would consider attending.^[30] This led to strong interest from many football programs around the nation.

The process of recruiting was much different during Brady's time, and athletes' rankings were not as prominent. In terms of recruiting in the 2000s, Brady would have been considered a four-star recruit. In essence, he was a highly rated prospect.^[31] Brady was also on Blue Chip Illustrated as well as a Prep Football Report All-American selection.^[32] Following his recruiting process he narrowed down his list to five main schools.^[33] "Probably the ones that we did hear from and ultimately pared the list to were Cal-Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Michigan, and Illinois," his father said.^[33] As a Cal fan, his father hoped that Brady would attend the nearby Cal, where Brady was a silent commit, and be able to watch his son play.^[34][35]

Brady was also known as a great baseball player in high school.^[36] He was a left-handed-hitting catcher with power. His skill set impressed MLB scouts, and he was drafted in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos.^[28][37] The Expos projected Brady as a potential All-Star, and offered him money typical of a late second-round or early third-round pick.^[38] Nevertheless, Brady was determined to play football at the next level. He was always more passionate about football, and when he found that there was significant interest in him, he decided to take the road of football.^[33] Brady was recruited by Michigan assistant Bill Harris, and he signed to play for the University of Michigan in 1995.^[39][40] He finished his high school football career completing 236 of 447 passes for 3,702 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also won All-State and All-Far West honors as well as the team's Most Valuable Player Award.^[32]

During the summers of 1998 and 1999, Brady was an intern at Merrill Lynch.^[41] He was inducted into the Junipero Serra High School Hall of Fame in 2003, joining fellow Serra High graduates Barry Bonds, Lynn Swann, Gregg Jefferies, Jim Fregosi, and his older sister Maureen, among many others.^[32] When Brady revisited two weeks after Super Bowl XLVI in 2012, school administrators announced that they had named the football stadium Brady Family Stadium.^[42]

College career

Brady at Michigan Stadium in 2016

Brady played college football at the University of Michigan from 1995 to 1999.^[43][44] He was a backup quarterback for his first two years, while teammate and future NFL quarterback Brian Griese led the 1997 Wolverines to an undefeated season, which was capped by a victory in the Rose Bowl and a share of the national championship.^[45] When he enrolled at Michigan, Brady was seventh on the depth chart, and he had an intense struggle to get some playing time. At one point, Brady hired a sports psychologist to help him cope with frustration and anxiety, and even considered transferring to California.^[46][47] He worked closely with assistant athletic director Greg Harden, who met with Brady every week to build his confidence and to maximize his performance on the field.^[48] Brady told 60 Minutes in 2014: "He will always be somebody I rely on for sound advice and mentorship. He has helped me with my own personal struggles in both athletics and in life. Greg really pushed me in a direction that I wasn't sure I could go."^[49]

Under Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, Brady battled for the starting job with Drew Henson^[44] and ultimately started every game in the 1998 and 1999 seasons. During his first full year as starter, he set new Michigan records for most pass attempts and completions in a season, for a total of 214.^[50] Brady was All-Big Ten honorable mention both seasons, and was the team captain in his senior year. The Wolverines won 20 of 25 games when he started, and he set a school record for completions in a 31–16 loss against Ohio State in 1998, a season in which Michigan shared the Big Ten Conference title.^[51] Brady capped that season with a 45–31 win over Arkansas in the Citrus Bowl.^[52]

In the 1999 season, Brady had to once again hold off Henson for the starting job. The two players platooned during the season's first seven games, with Brady playing the first quarter, Henson the second and Carr then deciding upon a quarterback for the second half. The 1999 Michigan Wolverines started off with a 5–0 record, including a 26–22 win over Notre Dame, and a road win against eventual powerhouse Wisconsin. Against Michigan State, Brady was not chosen to play the second half; however, he was reinserted into the game with Michigan down by 17 points, and he nearly led Michigan all the way back before losing 34–31.^[53] After a 300-yard passing game the following week, Carr went exclusively with Brady for the remainder of the season. Brady went on to lead Michigan to multiple 4th-quarter comebacks, including a remarkable 31–27 win against Penn State, and leading them out of a close game against Indiana, 34–31, heading into the regular season's final game, winners of three straight, earning him the moniker of "Comeback Kid".^[54]

Michigan concluded the regular season against Ohio State; this was a dramatic game with a trip to the Orange Bowl on the line. With five minutes left, tied 17–17, Brady led Michigan to the winning score.^[55] He led Michigan to an overtime win in the Orange Bowl over Alabama, throwing for 369 yards, four touchdowns, leading the team back from a pair of 14-point deficits in regulation (14–0 in the first half, and 28–14 in the second). He threw the game-winning score on a bootleg to tight end Shawn Thompson. Michigan won the game when Alabama missed an extra point following its own touchdown.^[56][57]

In the two seasons that Brady started at Michigan, he posted a 20–5 record, including his two largest victories at the Citrus Bowl (1999) and the Orange Bowl (2000). Brady finished his career ranking third in Michigan history with 710 attempts and 442 completions, fourth with 5,351 yards and 62.3 completion percentage, and fifth with 35 touchdown passes.^[32][58]

Statistics

Source:^[59]

Professional career

Overview

A lightly regarded prospect coming out of college,^[62][63] Brady was selected by the New England Patriots with the 199th overall pick in the sixth round of 2000 NFL Draft and has since spent his entire 18-season career with the Patriots. Brady's tenure with the Patriots is an NFL record for the longest time playing quarterback for one franchise. Since Brady became their starting quarterback in 2001, the Patriots have never had a losing season and have won 15 division titles. The Patriots played in twelve AFC Championship Games from 2001 to 2017—including seven in a row from 2011 to 2017—and won eight of them. Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick have combined to form the most successful quarterback-head coach tandem in NFL history, winning more regular season games and postseason games than any other such duo^[64] as well as appearing in eight Super Bowls. All of these events set new NFL records.^[65]

In his second season, Brady took over as the starting quarterback after Drew Bledsoe was injured.^[66] He led the Patriots to first place in the AFC East^[67] and a victory over the favored St. Louis Rams^[68][69] in Super Bowl XXXVI, winning his first Super Bowl MVP award. Despite the Patriots' missing the playoffs the following season, Brady would then lead them to back-to-back World Championships in 2003 and 2004, winning Super Bowl MVP honors again in 2003. Along the way, the Patriots won an NFL-record 21 consecutive games (including the playoffs) between the 2003 and 2004 seasons.^[70] The 2005 season was Brady's first to throw for 4,000 yards and lead the NFL in passing.^[71] That postseason, Brady would win his 10th consecutive playoff game, another NFL postseason record.^[72]

Although Brady and the Patriots continued to win often, they did not return to the Super Bowl until the 2007 season. That year, Brady not only set an NFL record with 50 touchdown passes^[73] but he would also lead the Patriots to a 16–0 finish,^[74] the first perfect regular-season record since the Miami Dolphins finished 14-0 in 1972.^[75][76] Brady would win his first career NFL MVP Award, winning 49 out of 50 votes.^[77] The Associated Press also named him Male Athlete of the Year, the first such award given to an NFL player since Joe Montana won it in 1989 and 1990.^[78] However, the Patriots suffered their first Super Bowl loss with Brady as quarterback, dropping a 17-14 decision to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.^[79]

Brady missed virtually the entire following season due to a knee injury in the season opener.^[80] But he would come back strong in the 2009 season to be named the league's Comeback Player of the Year.^[81] In 2010, Brady set the NFL record for consecutive passes without an interception (358)^[82] and broke his own record for the highest season touchdown to interception ratio (among players who have started a full season) at 9:1, currently the third best TD:INT ratio for a single season by a quarterback.^[83] Brady would win his second league MVP award with all 50 votes in his favor.^[84] He was the first unanimous NFL MVP since Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor won the award in 1986.^[85] He and Joe Montana are the only players in NFL history to win multiple NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP awards.^[86][87] Brady was also named the top player by his peers in the first NFL Top 100 list, released in 2011.^[88]

In the 2011 season, Brady led the Patriots to their first AFC Championship since 2007 and appeared in the Super Bowl for a fifth time; but the Patriots would lose again to the Giants.^[89] Following AFC Championship Game losses in the following seasons (2012 and 2013), Brady and the Patriots made their sixth trip to the Super Bowl after the 2014 season (Brady's 15th as a professional). There, he led the Patriots to a fourth-quarter comeback^[90] over the defending champion Seattle Seahawks. He would lift his fourth Super Bowl trophy (the Patriots' first in ten seasons) and was named Super Bowl MVP for the third time.^[91]

Despite missing the first four games of the 2016 season, Brady would lead the Patriots (3-1 before he rejoined them)^[92] to win 11 out of the 12 remaining regular season games and two postseason games to make his seventh Super Bowl appearance. Brady and the Patriots would overcome a 25-point deficit against the Atlanta Falcons (down 28-3 in the third quarter) to force the first overtime in Super Bowl history, winning 34-28 to give Brady his fifth Super Bowl title.^[93] He earned his fourth Super Bowl MVP award after setting title-game records for appearances, pass attempts, completions, passing yards and fourth-quarter comebacks.^[94]In his eighth appearance, capping the 2017 season, Brady threw for 505 yards at 40 years old, setting a record for most passing yards in a Super Bowl, but the Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, denying Brady his sixth Super Bowl ring.

Over his career, Brady has won three league MVP awards, five Super Bowls, and four Super Bowl MVP Awards. A 13-time Pro Bowler, Brady has also twice led the NFL in passing yardage.^[95][96] As of November 2017, he currently owns the third-highest career passer rating (97.9) among quarterbacks with at least 1,500 career passing attempts.^[97] He has thrown for more passing yards and touchdowns than any quarterback in NFL postseason history; he also has won more playoff games than any other quarterback. As a result of his highly successful career, Brady is rated among the greatest quarterbacks of all time.^[98]

Brady's name has become associated with two NFL rules, which sports reporters have called the "Brady rule".
One is the tuck rule that was in effect from 1999 through 2013.^[99]
The other is a rule about low hits enacted in 2009: "A defender cannot initiate a roll or lunge and forcibly hit the passer in the knee area or below, even if he is being contacted by another player."^[100]

2000 season

Brady was selected with pick #199, a compensatory pick, in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.^[101] He and his family had believed that Brady would be drafted in the second or third round; they watched the draft on television, stunned as six other quarterbacks were drafted before him. Brady was so embarrassed that he briefly left the family home during the sixth round, and cried when recalling the experience for an interview 11 years later. When the Patriots notified him that he would be drafted Brady was grateful that, he later said, he would not "have to be an insurance salesman".^[102] According to Michael Holley's book Patriot Reign, the Patriots were considering Brady and Tim Rattay, both of whom had received positive reviews from then-quarterbacks coach Dick Rehbein.^[103] Ultimately, the Patriots front office chose Brady. Considering his subsequent success, many analysts have called Brady the best NFL draft pick of all time.^{[104][105][106][107]}

Brady started the season as the fourth string quarterback, behind starter Drew Bledsoe and backups John Friesz and Michael Bishop; by season's end, he was number two on the depth chart behind Bledsoe.^[108] During his rookie season, he was 1-of-3 passing, for six yards.^[109] Tight end Rod Rutledge caught Brady's first and only completed pass of the season in a 34–9 loss to the Detroit Lions on November 23.^[110][111]

2001 season

With Bledsoe as the starting quarterback, the Patriots opened the season with a 23–17 loss at Cincinnati.^[109] In their second game and home opener on September 23, the Patriots squared off against their AFC East rivals, the New York Jets. Bledsoe was again the starter; in the fourth quarter, he suffered internal bleeding after a hit from Jets linebacker Mo Lewis. Bledsoe returned for the next series, but was replaced with Brady for the Patriots' final series of the game. New York would hold on to win, 10–3, and the Patriots fell to 0–2 on the season.^[112] Brady was named the starter for the season's third game, against the Indianapolis Colts. In his first two games as starter, Brady posted unspectacular passer ratings of 79.6 and 58.7, respectively, in a 44–13 victory over the Colts (in their last season in the AFC East) and a 30–10 loss to the Miami Dolphins.^{[113][114][115]}

In the Patriots' fifth game, Brady began to find his stride. Trailing the visiting San Diego Chargers 26–16 in the fourth quarter, he led the Patriots on two scoring drives to force overtime, and another in overtime to set up a winning field goal. Brady finished the game with 33 pass completions on 54 attempts, for 364 yards, and two touchdowns and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career.^[116][117] The following week, Brady again played well during the rematch at Indianapolis, with a passer rating of 148.3 in a 38–17 win.^[118] The Patriots went on to win eleven of the fourteen games Brady started, and six straight to finish the regular season, winning the AFC East and entering the 2001–02 NFL playoffs with a first-round bye.^[119] In that stretch was a Week 11 34–17 victory over the New Orleans Saints where he was 19 of 26 for 258 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn his second AFC Offensive Player of the Week nod in 2001.^[120] Brady finished the 2001 season with 2,843 passing yards and 18 touchdowns and earned an invitation to the 2002 Pro Bowl.^[109][121]

2001 postseason

In Brady's first playoff game, he threw for 312 yards against the Oakland Raiders and led the Patriots back from a ten-point fourth-quarter deficit to send the game to overtime, where they won on an Adam Vinatieri field goal. A controversial play occurred in that game. Trailing by three points in the fourth quarter, Brady lost control of the ball after being hit by Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson. Oakland initially recovered the ball, but, citing the "tuck rule," which states that any forward throwing motion by a quarterback begins a pass even if the quarterback loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body, referee Walt Coleman overturned the call on instant replay, ruling it an incomplete pass rather than a fumble.^[122]

In the AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brady injured his knee, and was relieved by Bledsoe.^[123] The Patriots won the game by a score of 24–17 and were immediately installed by Las Vegas oddsmakers as 14-point underdogs against the NFC champion St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.^[124][125]

Brady returned from his knee injury in the AFC Championship Game to start in Super Bowl XXXVI a week later in New Orleans. Despite being heavy underdogs, the Patriots played well, holding the Rams' high powered offense in check through the first three quarters. The Rams rallied from a 17–3 deficit to tie the game with 1:30 left in regulation. The Patriots then got the ball back at their own 17-yard line with no timeouts remaining. Sportscaster and former Super Bowl-winning coach John Madden said he thought the Patriots should run out the clock and try to win the game in overtime.^[126] Instead, Brady drove the Patriots' offense down the field to the Rams' 31-yard line before spiking the ball with seven seconds left. Then kicker Adam Vinatieri converted a 48-yard field goal as time expired to give the Patriots a 20–17 win and their first ever league championship. Brady was named MVP of Super Bowl XXXVI while throwing for 145 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. At the age of 24 years and six months, Brady surpassed Joe Namath in Super Bowl III and Joe Montana in Super Bowl XVI, who were both 25 years, seven months, and 13 days old at the time of their victories, to earn the title of youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl.^[127][128] A possible quarterback controversy was averted when Bledsoe was traded to the Buffalo Bills during the offseason; this event cemented Brady's status as the starting quarterback.^[129]

2002 season

In the 2002 season opener, Brady had 294 passing yards and three touchdowns in the 30–14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers to earn his third AFC Offensive of the Week title.^[130][131] In Week 9, in a 38–7 victory over the Buffalo Bills, he had 265 passing yards and three touchdowns to earn another AFC Offensive Player of the Week nod.^[132][133] Brady and the Patriots finished the year at 9–7, tied with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins for the best record in the division; however, the Jets won the division on the third tiebreaker, and the Patriots missed the playoffs.^[134]

Though Brady posted a career-low single-season passer rating of 85.7 and a career-high of 14 interceptions, he threw for a league-leading 28 touchdown passes and 921 more yards than in the 2001 season.^[113] However, Brady played much of the second half of the season with a shoulder injury, and New England head coach Bill Belichick later indicated that Brady would not have been able to play in their first playoff game if the Patriots had made the playoffs.

2003 season

After opening the 2003 NFL season with a 2–2 start, Brady led the Patriots to twelve consecutive victories to finish the regular season in winning the AFC East.^[135] In Week 9, against the Denver Broncos, he had 350 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in the 30–26 victory to earn his fifth AFC Offensive Player of the Week honor.^[136][137] Statistically, Brady's strongest game of the season was in Week 17 against the division rival Buffalo Bills, when he achieved a season-high quarterback rating of 122.9, and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week.^[113][138] Brady finished with 3,620 passing yards and 23 touchdowns,^[109] and was third in NFL MVP voting to co-winners Peyton Manning and Steve McNair.^[139]

2003 postseason

In the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Patriots defeated the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts.^[140][141] On February 1, 2004, Brady led the Patriots to a 32–29 victory over the NFC champion Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII and was named Super Bowl MVP for the second time. During the game, Brady threw for 354 yards with three touchdowns and set the record for most completions by a quarterback in a Super Bowl with 32. With 1:08 left in the fourth quarter and the score tied 29–29, Brady engineered a drive to put the Patriots in position for the game-winning 41-yard field goal by Vinatieri.^[142][143]

2004 season

Brady during Super Bowl XXXIX

During the 2004 season, Brady helped the Patriots set an NFL record with 21 straight wins dating from the previous year, an accomplishment honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (though for official records, the NFL considers it an 18-game regular season winning streak; it does not count playoff games).^[144] New England finished with a 14–2 record, equaling their 2003 record and the best regular-season record ever for a defending champion.^[145] The Patriots also won the AFC East divisional title for the third time in four years.^[146] Brady threw for 3,692 yards and 28 touchdowns, with a 92.6 passer rating, and was voted to his second Pro Bowl.^[109]

2004 postseason

In the AFC playoffs, Brady led the Patriots to victories over the Indianapolis Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers.^[147] Brady played his best game of the year in Pittsburgh despite requiring intravenous treatment the previous night when he ran a temperature of 103°.^[148] Against the NFL's best defense,^[147] he recorded a quarterback passer rating of 130.5, his highest of the season.^[113] On February 6, 2005, the Patriots narrowly defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 24–21, to win Super Bowl XXXIX. Brady threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns^[149] while capturing the Patriots' third championship in four years.

2005 season

During the 2005 season, injuries suffered by running backs Corey Dillon, Patrick Pass, and Kevin Faulk forced the Patriots to rely more on Brady's passing.^[150][151] Brady also had to adjust to new center Russ Hochstein and running back Heath Evans. On October 9, in a 31–28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, he had 350 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.^[152][153] Brady finished first in the league with 4,110 passing yards and third in the league with 26 touchdowns.^[109] At 92.3, his 2005 passer rating was the second-highest of his career at the time, although he equaled his career high for interceptions with 14.^[113] He rushed for 89 yards and fumbled a career-low four times.^[113] He and the Patriots finished with a 10–6 record, winning their third straight AFC East title.^[154] He was named to his third Pro Bowl at the end of the season.^[155]

2005 postseason

In the playoffs, Brady led the Patriots to a 28–3 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card Round; however, on January 14, 2006, the Patriots lost 27–13 to the Denver Broncos at INVESCO Field.^[156][157] Brady threw for 341 yards in the game with one touchdown and two interceptions, in the first playoff loss of his career after ten playoff victories.^[158] After the season's end, it was revealed that Brady had been playing with a sports hernia since December. Linebacker Willie McGinest commented on it and said he knew, but Brady continued playing.^[159]

Brady on the sideline at Giants Stadium with teammates Randy Moss and Jabar Gaffney, after throwing for his record-breaking 50th passing touchdown of the 2007 season

2006 season

Brady led the Patriots to a 12–4 record and the fourth seed in the AFC playoffs.^[160] In the regular season, Brady threw for 3,529 yards and 24 touchdowns.^[109] He was not among the players initially selected to the Pro Bowl,^[161] although he was offered an injury-replacement selection when San Diego Chargers Philip Rivers was forced to withdraw (which he declined).^[162]

2006 postseason

In the postseason, the Patriots first hosted their division rivals, the New York Jets, in the Wild Card Round. The Patriots defeated the Jets 37–16, as Brady went 22–34 for 212 yards and two touchdowns.^[163] In the Divisional Round, the Patriots traveled to San Diego to take on the Chargers. This was Brady's first playoff game in his home state of California. Brady and the Patriots struggled against the Chargers, whom many had picked as favorites to win Super Bowl XLI.^[164] With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Patriots down by eight points, Brady and the Patriots started a key drive that would ultimately decide the game. After a 49-yard pass play to wide receiver Reche Caldwell, a Stephen Gostkowski field goal gave the Patriots a 24–21 win.^[165]

In the AFC Championship, the Patriots faced the Indianapolis Colts. The Patriots and Colts had faced each other twice in the previous three postseasons at Foxborough; this game, however, was played at Indianapolis. The Patriots led at halftime, 21–6; however, the Colts and Peyton Manning staged a comeback, culminating in a last minute interception thrown by Brady, and the Patriots lost the game to the Colts, 34–38.^[166]

2007 season

Playing with a dramatically overhauled receiver corps—in the 2007 offseason, the Patriots acquired wide receivers Donté Stallworth, Wes Welker, Kelley Washington, and Randy Moss; tight end Kyle Brady; and running back Sammy Morris—Brady enjoyed what some sportswriters described as one of the best seasons by a quarterback.^[167][168] The average score of a 2007 Patriots regular-season game would be 37–17 by the end of the year.^[169] Brady led the Patriots to the first 16–0 regular-season record in league history, outscoring opponents by more than a 2-to-1 margin, but also attained numerous career, franchise, and NFL records and milestones in the process. He was named as the AFC Offensive Player of the Week five separate times that year.^{[170][171][172][173][174]} While away at Dallas, he had a career-high five passing touchdowns in a 48–27 win. The win tied him with Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach for the most wins ever by a starting quarterback in his first 100 regular-season games, with 76.^[175] The next week, in part of a 49–28 win at Miami, he had yet another record day, with six passing touchdowns, setting a franchise record. He also had the first perfect passer rating of his career.^[176] Two weeks later, as part of a come-from-behind 24–20 victory at Indianapolis, he threw for another three touchdowns, the ninth consecutive game in which he had done so, breaking Peyton Manning's NFL record of eight.^[177] During the last game of the year, Brady threw two touchdown passes; his second touchdown was his 50th, breaking Peyton Manning's 2004 record of 49.^[178]

Brady in December 2007

Brady finished the season with 4,806 passing yards, 50 touchdown passes, and only eight interceptions. It was unanimously voted the greatest passing season of all time by ESPN in 2013. His 50:8 touchdown to interception ratio was, at the time, an NFL record. He became the first quarterback to pass for 50 touchdowns in a season and his 117.2 passer rating is^[when?] the fourth highest in a single season. His 8.7% touchdown passing percentage is^[when?] the third highest ever in a season. He led the Patriots to becoming the first team to ever go undefeated in the regular season since the 16 game schedule was enforced and directed an offense that scored a then NFL record 589 points and 75 total touchdowns. Those records stood until they were eclipsed by the 2013 Denver Broncos. The team's 50 total touchdown passes is the fourth most ever in a season. For his efforts, Brady was named the Most Valuable Player of this season, as well as Offensive Player of the Year. He was also honored by the Associated Press as their Male Athlete of the Year, the first time an NFL player has been so honored since Joe Montana won the award in 1990.^[179] He was named as a First Team All-Pro and to his fourth career Pro Bowl as a result of his historic season.^[180][181]

2007 postseason

In the Patriots' first playoff game, an AFC Divisional Round game against Jacksonville, Brady began the game with an NFL postseason record 16 consecutive completed passes, and finished the game with 26 completions in 28 attempts, a completion rate of 92.9%. That mark is the highest single-game completion percentage (for passers with at least 20 attempts) in NFL history, regular season or postseason.^[182] With the win, the Patriots matched the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only team to win 17 consecutive games in one season.

Statistically, Brady did not fare as well in the AFC Championship Game against the San Diego Chargers, throwing three interceptions (including his first interception in the red zone since the playoff loss to Denver in the 2005 postseason). Nevertheless, the Patriots won their 18th game of the season, 21–12, to advance to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in seven seasons. Brady, with the 100th win of his career, also set an NFL record for the fewest games needed by a starting quarterback to do so: his 100–26 record is sixteen games better than Joe Montana's.^[183]
In Super Bowl XLII, Brady was pressured heavily and sacked five times. The Patriots did manage to take the lead with a Brady touchdown to Moss with less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Giants were able to score a last-minute touchdown to upset the Patriots 17–14, taking away what would have been the first perfect season since the NFL expanded its regular season to 16 games.^[184]

Brady in action against the Washington Redskins on August 28, 2009.

2008 season

Brady did not play in any games during the 2008 preseason or in the 2008 Pro Bowl due to two different foot injuries.^[185][186] In the Patriots' 2008 season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium, Brady's left knee was seriously injured midway through the first quarter on a hit by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard; he left the game and did not return. The team later confirmed that Brady would require surgery, and it would prematurely end his 2008 season.^[187] Brady tore both his anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament.^[188] The injury ended Brady's streak of 111 consecutive starts (seventh in the list of most consecutive starts by an NFL quarterback, behind Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Ron Jaworski, and Joe Flacco).^[189] Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction at the Los Angeles Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic October 6, using Brady's patellar tendon graft to replace the torn ligament, and also repaired his medial collateral ligament, through a separate incision in his left knee.^[190] An infection in the wound resulted in further debridement surgery several times since the original procedure. Brady received IV antibiotics for this infection which, at the time, threatened to delay his rehab.^[191][192] Despite Brady's absence, the Patriots managed to finish the 2008 season with an 11–5 record; however, due to tiebreakers, the Patriots not only failed to win the AFC East division title, but missed the playoffs altogether for the first time since the 2002 season.^[193]

2009 season

Brady in Landover, Maryland, on August 28, 2009, during warmups in a preseason game against the Washington Redskins.

In his first game in nearly a year, Brady threw for 378 yards and two touchdowns in the 2009 season opener against the Buffalo Bills. In the final minutes of the game, the Patriots were down 24–13 before Brady and tight end Benjamin Watson connected on two straight touchdowns to lead the Patriots to a 25–24 win.^[194] Brady was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the 13th time in his career for his performance.^[195]

On October 18, 2009, in an early season snowstorm, Brady set an NFL record against the Tennessee Titans for most touchdowns in a single quarter, throwing five in the second quarter. Brady finished the game with six touchdowns, tying his career best, and 380 yards, completing 29-of-34 attempts, finishing with a nearly perfect passer rating of 152.8.^[196][197] He earned his second AFC Offensive Player of the Week nod for his efforts against the Titans.^[198] The Patriots' 59–0 victory over the Titans tied the record for the largest margin of victory since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger,^[199] and set a record for largest halftime lead in NFL history, which was 45–0.

Brady finished the 2009 regular season with 4,398 yards passing and 28 touchdowns for a 96.2 rating,^[109] despite a broken right ring finger and three fractured ribs, all which were suffered over the course of the season.^[200] He was selected as a reserve to the 2010 Pro Bowl and named the 2009 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.^[201][202]

2009 postseason

Brady ended the 2009 season throwing for 154 passing yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions in a Wild Card Round loss to the Baltimore Ravens, 33–14, his first career home playoff loss, and the first playoff loss at home by a Patriots quarterback since 1978 (Steve Grogan).^[203]

2010 season

On September 10, 2010, Brady signed a four-year, $72 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid player in the NFL. The extension included $48.5 million in guaranteed money.^[204]

Brady became the quickest quarterback to achieve 100 regular season wins by helping his team defeat the Miami Dolphins 41–14 on October 4, 2010.^[205]

In a 31–28 win over the Indianapolis Colts on November 21, 2010, Brady tied Brett Favre's record of winning 25 consecutive regular-season home starts.^[206] Brady's last regular-season defeat at home was a 17–14 loss to the New York Jets on November 12, 2006.^[207] On November 25, in a 45–24 victory over the Detroit Lions, he had 341 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week.^[208][209] The next week, in a 45–3 victory over the New York Jets, he had 326 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive week. The victory over the Jets set an NFL record by winning 26 consecutive regular-season home starts.^{[210][211][212]}

Brady threw for 3,900 yards with 36 touchdowns and only four interceptions on the season.^[109] He had a 111.0 passer rating; this gave him—at the time—two of the top five season ratings in NFL history and made him the first player to finish with a rating above 110 in two different seasons.^[213]

Brady was selected as a starter to the 2011 Pro Bowl.^[214] However, he pulled out of the game (and was replaced by former backup Matt Cassel of the Kansas City Chiefs) after undergoing surgery for a stress fracture in his right foot dating back to 2008.^[215] Brady was also the only unanimous selection for the AP All-Pro Team and was named the 2010 Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year. By unanimous decision, he won the MVP award for the second time in his career.^[216] On the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011 players' list, Brady was ranked as the best player in the NFL by his fellow players.^[217]

2010 postseason

After earning the #1 seed and a bye week, the Patriots lost to the New York Jets in the Divisional Round by a score of 28–21. Brady finished the game 29-of-45 for 299 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. His one interception ended his NFL record of consecutive passes without an interception at 340.^[218][219]

2011 season

Brady in 2011

In Week 1 of the 2011 NFL season, Brady threw for 517 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception in a 38–24 victory over the Miami Dolphins and earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.^[220] This was the second time that he had thrown for 400 or more yards in a single game. In the game, he threw a record-tying 99-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker in the second quarter.^{[221][222][223]} In the next game, a 35–21 victory over the San Diego Chargers, he had 423 passing yards and three touchdowns to earn another AFC Offensive Player of the Week nod.^[224][225]

In Week 16, in the second divisional game against the Miami Dolphins, Brady had 304 passing yards and one passing touchdown to go along with nine rushes for 17 yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 27–24 victory to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the third time in 2011.^[226][227] In the regular season finale against the Buffalo Bills, Brady became the fourth quarterback to throw for 5,000 yards in a single season, finishing with 5,235; although Brady surpassed Dan Marino's longstanding record of 5,084 passing yards, he finished the season second in passing yards behind Drew Brees's 5,476.^[109] In the end, the Patriots finished the season 13–3 and clinched the AFC's #1 seed.^[228] For his efforts in the 2011 season, Brady was named to the Pro Bowl and was named as the fourth best player in the NFL on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012 by his peers.^[229][230]

2011 postseason

In the Patriots' 45–10 rout of the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round, Brady set a personal postseason best with 363 passing yards, and tied an NFL playoff record shared by Daryle Lamonica and Steve Young, throwing for six touchdown passes.^[232] The win, his first postseason win since January 2008, gave Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick sole possession of the NFL record for postseason wins by a quarterback-head coach combo with 15.^[233] In the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens, Brady failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in 36 games, though he did pass for 239 yards and scored a one-yard rushing touchdown late in the game. A missed field goal from Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff gave Brady and the Patriots a 23-20 victory, sending the Patriots to the Super Bowl for the fifth time since Brady joined the team.^[234] In Super Bowl XLVI, Brady and the Patriots met the New York Giants in a rematch of their Super Bowl XLII meeting four years earlier. Brady played well, leading a Super Bowl record-tying 96-yard touchdown drive to close the first half and at one point completing 16 passes in a row to give him a 20-of-23 mark partway into the third quarter, another Super Bowl record. Brady threw two touchdowns against one interception, and was penalized for intentional grounding in the end zone, giving up a crucial safety to the Giants. A final score of 21–17 for the Giants prevented Brady from winning his fourth Super Bowl.^[235]

2012 season

Brady started all 16 regular season games of the 2012 NFL season and led the Patriots to a 12–4 record. Among the many highlights of the team was a 42–14 win over the Houston Texans in Week 14. Brady had 296 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week.^[236][237] The Patriots scored 557 total points, the third highest in league history and Brady became the first quarterback to lead his team to ten division titles.^[238] With that point total, the Patriots became the first team to score at least 500 points in a season four different times, with Brady leading all four squads, which was a record as well. He finished the season with 4,827 passing yards, 34 touchdowns, only eight interceptions, and a passer rating of 98.7. It was Brady's third straight season throwing for over 30 touchdowns.^[239] He was named to the Pro Bowl for the eighth time in his career.^[240] On the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013, Brady was ranked fourth by his fellow players for the second consecutive time.^[241]

2012 postseason

Brady started both Patriots playoff games, winning 41–28 against the Houston Texans.^[242] With the victory, Brady surpassed Joe Montana for most career playoff wins, with 17. The Patriots were then upset by the eventual Super Bowl XLVII champion Baltimore Ravens, 28–13 in the AFC Championship.^[243]

On February 25, 2013, Brady and the Patriots agreed on a three-year contract extension, which kept him with the team through 2017.^[244]Peter King called it an "amazing" deal, as Brady took just $27 million in new money over the 2015, 2016, and 2017 seasons, and also noted that it reflected Patriots owner Robert Kraft's desire to make sure that Brady retired as a Patriot.^[245]

2013 season

Brady and the Patriots began the season with much upheaval on the offensive side of the ball. Tight end Rob Gronkowski was injured and Aaron Hernandez was arrested. Wes Welker departed to the Denver Broncos, Danny Woodhead left in free agency for the San Diego Chargers, and Brandon Lloyd was released from the team. In order to replace the five players, the Patriots signed Danny Amendola in free agency from the Rams, drafted rookie wide receivers Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce, and signed undrafted rookie free agent wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins. In the first two games of the season, Brady completed 52% of his passes and had three touchdowns and one interception.^[246][247]

Brady during the 2013 season

Brady was in pursuit of Drew Brees's record of at least one touchdown in 54 consecutive regular season games and saw the streak end at 52 games in a Week 5 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals.^[248] In a Week 6 game against the Saints, the Patriots struggled in the first half and bounced back in the second with Brady passing for 269 yards with a touchdown to Kenbrell Thompkins as time expired to pull out the win over the Saints.^[249]

In Week 12, Brady faced-off against Peyton Manning for the fourteenth time in his career. After going to the half trailing by 24 points, Brady and the Patriots scored 31 unanswered points. The Patriots won after a muffed punt in overtime when Stephen Gostkowski scored a field goal.^[250] With the win, Brady earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.^[251] With a Week 16 win over the Baltimore Ravens, Brady collected his 147th win as a starting quarterback to tie Dan Marino for fourth place all time, and the following week he defeated the Buffalo Bills to tie John Elway for third place. Brady was named to the Pro Bowl for the ninth time in career and was ranked third on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014 players' list in the offseason.^[252][253]

2013 postseason

Brady's Patriots finished the season 12–4, to earn the second seed in the AFC and a first-round bye.^[254] In the Divisional Round matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, Brady made his 25th playoff appearance, breaking Brett Favre's career record for playoff appearances by a quarterback (Jerry Rice appeared in 29 playoff games). He passed for 198 yards as the Patriots won 43–22 behind a four-touchdown performance from LeGarrette Blount.^[255] The following week, the Patriots lost 26–16 to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship, eliminating Brady and the Patriots from the playoffs.^[256]

2014 season

Brady in September 2014 against the Minnesota Vikings

Brady started the 2014 season with a 33–20 loss to the Miami Dolphins.^[257] It was Brady's first opening day loss since the 2003 season. Brady recorded 241 yards and a touchdown in the loss. New England rebounded against the Minnesota Vikings, but Brady struggled, throwing for 149 yards and a touchdown in a 30–7 win.^[258] Against the Oakland Raiders, Brady was pressured all day, but threw for 234 yards and a touchdown in 16–9 win.^[259] After a humiliating 41–14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Brady led New England to back-to-back wins against the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills.^[260][261] Brady then defeated the New York Jets with a 261-yard performance that included three touchdowns.^[262] The following week, a 51–23 embarrassment of the Chicago Bears saw Brady throw for 354 yards and a season-high five touchdowns.^[263] After passing for 333 yards, and 257 yards in his next two games against the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts respectively, Brady defeated the Detroit Lions 34–9 with 349 passing yards and two touchdowns against only one interception.^[264] The Patriots winning streak was put to the test against the Green Bay Packers in Week 13. Down 13–0 early, Brady threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns. Still down 26–21, Brady was unable to give the Patriots their eighth consecutive victory.^[265] After trailing 14–3 at the San Diego Chargers, Brady rallied his team with 317 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, to a 23–14 comeback win.^[266] Brady clinched his NFL record 12th AFC East division title with 287 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Brady struggled in his final two games, throwing for only 182 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in 17–16 victory against the Jets, and 80 yards in one half of the final regular season game against the Buffalo Bills, a 17–9 loss, though Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, and three starting offensive linemen did not play either the entirety or the majority of the final game, and Brady only played in the first half.^[267] Brady was named to his tenth career Pro Bowl and was ranked third by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.^[268][269]

2014 postseason

In a 35–31 Divisional Round win over the Ravens, Brady threw for three touchdowns and ran in a fourth, breaking Curtis Martin's club record for rushing touchdowns in the playoffs; Brady also broke Joe Montana's record for playoff touchdowns with 46. After the Ravens scored on their first two possessions, the Patriots were quickly down 14–0. Brady led New England on an eight-play, 78-yard drive, and ran for a score to cut the Ravens lead to 14–7. In the second quarter, Brady's 15 yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola tied the score at 14–14. After getting the ball back, Brady threw an interception at the end of the first half. Joe Flacco capitalized on it by throwing an 11-yard touchdown strike to tight end Owen Daniels to give Baltimore a 21–14 halftime lead. Down 28–14, Brady engineered an 80-yard drive, culminating in a touchdown to Rob Gronkowski to cut the lead to 28–21. The Patriots tied the game once again at 28 off of a trick play where Brady passed laterally to Julian Edelman who then threw a 51-yard touchdown to Danny Amendola. Ravens kicker Justin Tucker drilled a 25-yard field goal to give Baltimore a 31–28 4th quarter lead. Brady got the ball back, and threw a 23-yard touchdown to wide receiver Brandon LaFell to give the Patriots their first lead, up 35–31. After a Duron Harmon interception and a Joe Flacco Hail Mary attempt failed, Brady clinched his record ninth AFC Championship Game, fourth straight, and the third championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.^[270] After a 45–7 blowout, Brady advanced to play in his sixth Super Bowl, breaking a tie with John Elway for most career Super Bowl appearances by a quarterback.^[271]

In Super Bowl XLIX, Brady completed 37-of-50 passes for 328 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. He guided a then-record ten-point fourth quarter comeback as the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28–24 to give Brady his fourth Super Bowl ring, tying him with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for most Super Bowl victories by a starting quarterback.^[272] He was named Super Bowl MVP for the third time, tying Montana's record. Brady's 37 completed passes in the game set a Super Bowl record at the time, which Brady himself would break in Super Bowl LI two years later.^[273]

2015 season

2015 offseason

On May 6, 2015, the NFL published a 243-page report regarding the deflation of footballs used in the previous season's AFC Championship Game.^[274] The report concluded that, more likely than not, Brady was at least generally aware of the intentional deflation. On May 11, Brady was suspended for four games by the NFL for his involvement based on "substantial and credible evidence" that Brady knew Patriots employees were deflating footballs and that he failed to cooperate with the investigators.^[275] On May 11, Troy Vincent—NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations—penned a letter to Brady that stated in part: "Your actions as set forth in the report clearly constitute conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the game of professional football."^[276] Vincent's letter further stated: "With respect to your particular involvement, the report established that there is substantial and credible evidence to conclude you were at least generally aware of the actions of the Patriots' employees involved in the deflation of the footballs and that it was unlikely that their actions were done without your knowledge. Moreover, the report documents your failure to cooperate fully and candidly with the investigation, including by refusing to produce any relevant electronic evidence (emails, texts, etc.), despite being offered extraordinary safeguards by the investigators to protect unrelated personal information, and by providing testimony that the report concludes was not plausible and contradicted by other evidence."^[276] Brady, through the NFL Players Association, officially appealed the suspension on May 14.^[277]

On July 28, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the upholding of Brady's four-game suspension.^[278] Brady gave permission to the NFLPA to appeal the suspension in federal court.^[279] Goodell cited Brady's destruction of his cell phone as a critical factor in his decision to uphold Brady's suspension.^[280][281] The NFL also filed papers in federal court seeking to confirm Roger Goodell's decision.^[282] On July 29 Brady released a statement on his Facebook page that criticized Goodell's decision to uphold the suspension, saying in part "I am very disappointed by the NFL's decision to uphold the 4 game suspension against me. I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either... I will not allow my unfair discipline to become a precedent for other NFL players without a fight."^[283][284]

Brady in 2015

Commentary on the initial punishment was mixed. Bleacher Report writer Mike Freeman made a statement agreeing with Goodell's decision, saying the penalties were "brutal, but it deserved to be."^[285] Various commentators also implied that the prior reputation of the Patriots organization as a team that bends rules appeared to factor into the harshness of the punishment.^[285][286] Others described the punishment as "firm but fair".^[287]

On September 3, 2015, Judge Richard M. Berman of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York vacated Brady's suspension; this ruling allowed Brady to play in the first four games of the 2015 NFL season. In his decision, Judge Berman cited the NFL's failure to provide proper notice to Brady of the charges against him and the potential for a suspension.^[288] Post-appeal commentary also criticized Goodell for "manipulating Brady's testimony" at the appeal hearing in his decision.^[289]

2015 regular season

In the NFL Kickoff Game, Brady led the Patriots to a 28–21 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He threw for 288 yards and four touchdowns, three of them to Rob Gronkowski.^[290] The Patriots' victory was the 161st victory of Brady's career, all with the Patriots, which surpassed the record held by former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre for most regular season wins by a starting quarterback with a single team. In Week 2, Brady followed up his Week 1 performance by throwing for 466 yards and three touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills. Through the first five games of the season, Brady threw a total of 14 touchdowns with one interception and had a quarterback rating of 118.4.^[291] In Week 8, a 36–7 victory over the Miami Dolphins, he had 356 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn his 25th AFC Offensive Player of the Week title.^[292][293]

Despite Brady's success, the Patriots were hit by many injuries to key players on offense, including wide receiver Julian Edelman, and the Patriots eventually lost their first game against the Broncos, who were without Peyton Manning, in Denver on the Sunday after Thanksgiving following a 10–0 start.^[294] The Patriots then lost three of their remaining five games to finish 12–4 for a fourth straight season, tied with the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos for the AFC's best record. Denver clinched the No. 1 seed due to their victories over both the Patriots and the Bengals, while the Patriots finished with the AFC's No. 2 seed due to having a better record against common opponents than Cincinnati.^[295][296] Brady finished the regular season with a league-leading 36 touchdown passes and seven interceptions.^[297] He was named to his 11th Pro Bowl (seventh straight), and was ranked as the second best player on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016 behind only league MVP Cam Newton.^[298][299]

2015 postseason

With the return of Julian Edelman from a foot injury, the Patriots defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round by a score of 27–20 after advancing with a first round bye.^[300] The Patriots advanced to the AFC Championship at Mile High Stadium to face Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. It would turn out to be the 17th and final meeting between the two storied quarterbacks, as Manning would announce his retirement after the season ended. The Broncos' top-ranked defense harassed Brady, who completed 27-of-56 passes with two interceptions and a touchdown, all day, and the Patriots eventually lost the game 20–18 after a potential game-tying two-point conversion attempt failed with 17 seconds left in regulation.^[301]

2016 season

2016 offseason

On February 29, 2016, Brady signed a two-year contract extension covering the 2018 and 2019 seasons.^[302]

Three days later, the NFL appealed Judge Richard M. Berman's 2015 decision to vacate Brady's four-game suspension as punishment for his alleged role in the Deflategate scandal. At the March 3, 2016, hearing in New York City, the three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit questioned Players Association lawyer Jeffrey L. Kessler more intensely than NFL lawyer Paul Clement, with Circuit Judge Denny Chin even stating that "the evidence of ball tampering is compelling, if not overwhelming."^[303]

On April 25, 2016, Judge Richard M. Berman's decision to block Brady's four-game suspension was overturned by the U.S. Appeals Court.^[304][305] Circuit Judge Barrington Daniels Parker Jr., joined by Circuit Judge Chin, wrote that they could not "second-guess" the arbitration but were merely determining it "met the minimum legal standards established by the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947".^[306] Circuit Chief Judge Robert Katzmann dissented, writing that the NFL's fines for using stickum was "highly analogous" and that here "the Commissioner was doling out his own brand of industrial justice."^[307]

On May 23, 2016, Brady appealed for his case to be reheard by the full U.S. 2nd Circuit Court.^[308] The 2nd Circuit Court denied Brady's request for an en banc hearing on July 13.^[309] Two days later, on Friday, July 15, 2016, Brady announced on his Facebook page that he would give up his Deflategate fight and accept his suspension for the first four regular season games of the 2016 season. Prior to Brady's suspension, he had not missed a single regular season or postseason game since the start of the 2009 season.

2016 regular season

Brady during the 2016 season

After serving his four-game suspension, Brady made his 2016 season debut on October 9 on the road against the Cleveland Browns; he completed 28-of-40 passes for 406 yards and three touchdowns in a 33–13 victory to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week.^[310][311] In his home debut the following week, Brady completed 29-of-35 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns in a 35–17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.^[312] In Week 7, Brady completed 19 of 26 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns as New England defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 27–16.^[313] The next week, the Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills 41–25, with Brady completing 22-of-33 passes for 315 yards and four touchdowns.^[314] Brady's outstanding numbers during his first four games following the suspension earned him the AFC Offensive Player of the Month award for October.^[315]

Following a bye week, Brady and the Patriots faced the Seattle Seahawks in a Week 10 rematch of Super Bowl XLIX. Brady completed 23-of-32 passes for 316 yards, one interception, and no touchdowns in a 31–24 loss that saw the two teams trade leads seven times.^[316] In Week 11, Brady completed 24-of-40 passes for 280 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions in a 30–17 road win against his childhood team, the San Francisco 49ers. Brady's performance against San Francisco earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for Week 11.^[317] Those four touchdown passes also gave him 444 career regular season touchdown passes with one team, breaking Brett Favre's record. The following week, Brady completed 30-of-50 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns in a 22–17 road victory against the New York Jets.^[318] The win was also the Patriots' 500th victory (including playoffs) in franchise history. During this victory, Brady also became the fifth quarterback to record 60,000 career regular season passing yards, joining Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Drew Brees, and Dan Marino. The following week, Brady completed 33-of-46 passes for 269 yards and one touchdown as the Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 26–10.^[319] The Patriots' win against the Rams gave Brady his 201st career victory, including playoff games, breaking Peyton Manning's record of 200.^[320] In Week 14, Brady completed 25 of 38 passes for 406 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception during a 30–23 victory against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football.^[321]

The next week, Brady completed 16-of-32 passes for 188 yards in a 16–3 victory in Denver.^[322] With this victory, the Patriots clinched an eighth consecutive AFC East title and a seventh consecutive first-round bye in the playoffs, both NFL records.^[323] On December 20, 2016, Brady was named to the Pro Bowl for the eighth straight season and 12th time overall.^[324][325] In Week 16, Brady threw for 17 of 27 passes for 214 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions as he led the Patriots to a 41–3 win over the Jets.^[326] In Week 17, Brady completed 25-of-33 passes for 276 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in a 35–14 victory over the Miami Dolphins in the regular season finale that gave the Patriots home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.^[327] Brady's 276 yards against Miami moved him ahead of former Miami quarterback Dan Marino into fourth place on the NFL's all-time passing yards list. Brady's three touchdowns against Miami also gave him 28 passing touchdowns against two interceptions for the regular season. This broke the previous record of Nick Foles's 27:2 TD:INT ratio which was set in 2013 with the Philadelphia Eagles.^[328] Brady was named to the AP All-Pro Second Team, behind Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons, who was named to the AP All-Pro First Team.^[329] Brady was also ranked first on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017 as the best player in the league, becoming the first player to be named as #1 twice since the listing started.^[330]

2016 postseason

Brady hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the fifth time in his career after winning Super Bowl LI

Brady and the Patriots began their postseason run in the Divisional Round, hosting the Houston Texans, who had the league's No. 1 total defense. Brady completed 18-of-38 passes for 287 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions as the Patriots won 34–16, clinching a record sixth consecutive trip to the AFC Championship Game.^[331] The Patriots then defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 36–17. Against the Steelers, Brady completed 32-of-42 passes for 384 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. The win gave Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick their record seventh conference title as a quarterback–head coach tandem, and the Patriots an NFL record ninth Super Bowl appearance.^[332]

Brady and the Patriots faced the NFC champion Atlanta Falcons—who boasted the league's highest scoring offense—in Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Sunday, February 5, 2017. Brady threw for 43 completions on 62 attempts for 466 passing yards—all Super Bowl records at the time. Brady also threw for two touchdowns and an interception. After trailing 28–3 midway through the third quarter, Brady and the Patriots scored 25 unanswered points to tie the game at the end of regulation. This resulted in the first overtime in Super Bowl history. After winning the overtime coin toss, Brady marched the Patriots down the field to score a touchdown and win the game by a score of 34–28,^[333] completing the largest comeback win in both team history and Super Bowl history. With the victory, Brady won his fifth Super Bowl, which set a record for most Super Bowl victories of any quarterback in history and tied defensive player Charles Haley for the most Super Bowl victories for any player. In addition, Brady set another record by winning his fourth Super Bowl MVP award for his clutch performance.^[334]

After the game, it was discovered that Brady's jersey had gone missing from the Patriots' locker room at NRG Stadium.^[335] The FBI, in collaboration with Mexican authorities, recovered the jersey from the home of Martin Mauricio Ortega, a Mexican tabloid writer, along with Brady's jersey from Super Bowl XLIX.^[336]

2017 season

2017 offseason

On May 12, 2017, Brady was announced as the cover athlete for Madden NFL 18.^[337]

In a CBS interview on May 17, 2017, Charlie Rose asked Brady's wife, Gisele Bündchen, if she wanted Brady to retire, despite the fact that he was playing at a high level. Bündchen mentioned that Brady suffered from a concussion in the 2016 season, saying, "I mean he has concussions pretty much every—I mean we don't talk about—but he does have concussions. I don't really think it's a healthy thing for anybody to go through.”^[338][339]

Following the Bündchen interview, the NFL released a statement: "We have reviewed all reports relating to Tom Brady from the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants and certified athletic trainer spotters who worked at Patriots’ home and away 2016 season games as well as club injury reports that were sent to the league office. There are no records that indicate that Mr. Brady suffered a head injury or concussion, or exhibited or complained of concussion symptoms. Today we have been in contact with the NFLPA and will work together to gather more information from the club's medical staff and Mr. Brady".^[340][341] Brady's agent, Don Yee, said that Brady was not diagnosed with a concussion during the 2016 season.^[342]

2017 regular season

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The Patriots opened up their 2017 season in the NFL Kickoff Game on September 7 at home against the Kansas City Chiefs. Brady had 267 passing yards in the game, which the Patriots lost 42–27.^[343] In Week 2, Brady threw three touchdown passes in the first quarter of a game for the first time in his career in a 36–20 win over the New Orleans Saints.^[344] He finished the game with 447 passing yards and three touchdowns, earning him his 28th AFC Offensive Player of the Week award.^[345] This broke the record previously held by Peyton Manning for the most AFC Offensive Player of the Week awards in a career.^[346] In Week 3, Brady threw for 378 passing yards and five touchdowns as he led the Patriots to a 36–33 comeback win against the Houston Texans, a performance that earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second straight week, and the 29th for his career.^[347] In Week 4, Brady played well again, throwing for 307 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, but the Carolina Panthers upset the Patriots 33–30 on a last second field goal from Graham Gano as time expired. In the Patriots' next game, a narrow 19–14 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, Brady completed 30 out of 40 passes for 303 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. With this victory, Brady became the third quarterback in NFL history to record 186 career regular season victories, tying Peyton Manning and Brett Favre for the most such wins of any quarterback in NFL history.^[348] On October 10, it was unveiled that Brady was diagnosed with an AC joint sprain in his left (non-throwing) shoulder.^[349][350] During Week 6 against the New York Jets, Brady threw for 257 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception as the Patriots won 24–17. Brady obtained his 187th career win, setting the record for most regular season wins in NFL history.^[351] The next week, the Patriots hosted the Atlanta Falcons in a rematch of Super Bowl LI on Sunday Night Football. Brady was efficient, completing 21 of 29 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots defeated the Falcons, 23–7.^[352] The following week, Brady completed 32-of-47 passes for 333 yards and one touchdown in a 21–13 win against the Los Angeles Chargers. With the win against the Chargers, the Patriots headed into their bye week with an AFC best 6–2 record.^[353]

Coming off their bye week, Brady and the Patriots traveled to Denver for a Sunday Night Football match against the Denver Broncos. The Patriots dominated the game, winning 41-16, with Brady completing 25 of 34 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns. For his performance against Denver, Brady was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the third time in the season.^[354] After spending the next week training at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Brady and the Patriots traveled to Mexico City for a special regular season match with the Oakland Raiders. Like the previous week, the Patriots won big, this time by a final score of 33–8. Brady completed 30 of 37 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns in the win. During Week 12 against the Dolphins, Brady finished with 227 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and an interception as the Patriots won 35-17. Brady became the first quarterback at age 40 to throw for 4 touchdowns in a game. Brady was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for November.^[355] During Week 13 against the Buffalo Bills, Brady finished with 258 passing yards and an interception as the Patriots won 23–3. During the game, Brady yelled at offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels after failing to execute a play properly in the first quarter. Brady claimed that this wasn't his first incident with McDainels, with whom he had worked together for 13 years, with a "fruitful" relationship.^[356][357] The following week, the Patriots traveled to Miami to face the Dolphins on Monday Night Football. The Dolphins held off a late comeback attempt to defeat the Patriots 27-20, with Brady completing 24 of 43 passes for 233 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.^[358] In Week 15, Brady completed 22 of 35 passes for 298 yards, a touchdown, and an interception as he led the Patriots to a 27–24 comeback victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers.^[359] With this victory, the Patriots secured their ninth straight AFC East division title. On December 19, Brady was selected to the Pro Bowl for the 13th time in his career.^[360][361] On Christmas Eve against the Buffalo Bills, Brady completed 21 of 28 passes for 224 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception as the Patriots won their twelfth game of the season, 37–16.^[362] With this win, combined with a loss by the Jacksonville Jaguars later in the day, the Patriots clinched a first-round bye for the eighth straight year.^[363] In the regular season finale against the New York Jets on New Year's Eve, Brady completed 18 of 37 passes for 190 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in a 26-6 victory. With the win, the Patriots clinched home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.^[364] Brady finished the 2017 regular season as the NFL's passing yards leader with 4,577 passing yards, making him the oldest player ever to lead the league in passing yards.^[365] He was named a first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press for the third time in his career.^[366] Earning 40 of 50 votes, Brady was named the NFL Most Valuable Player for the third time in his career.^[367]

2017 postseason

Brady playing in Super Bowl LII

Brady and the Patriots began their postseason run by hosting the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Brady completed 35 passes out of 53 attempts for 337 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions in a 35-14 Patriots victory.^[368] With the win, the Patriots advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the seventh straight year. Days after the divisional round, it was revealed that Brady had a minor cut on his right hand, which required stitches.^[369] Despite this injury, Brady managed to start the AFC Championship Game, where the Patriots faced off against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Brady led a fourth quarter comeback to lead the Patriots to a 24-20 victory. He finished the game with 26 completions out of 38 attempts for 290 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions.^[370] The win gave Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick their eighth conference title as a quarterback–head coach tandem, and the Patriots a berth in Super Bowl LII, their tenth Super Bowl appearance as a team, both of which extended NFL records. In Super Bowl LII, the Patriots faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles and their second-string quarterback Nick Foles. Brady completed 28 passes on 48 attempts for 3 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a Super Bowl record 505 yards - which also set a new record for the most passing yards by a quarterback in any postseason game in NFL history. With roughly two minutes remaining in the game and the Eagles leading 38-33, Brady was strip-sacked by Brandon Graham. The Eagles recovered the fumble and cemented their 41-33 win with a field goal, securing their first franchise Super Bowl victory.^[371] This was the third time overall that Brady had lost in a Super Bowl, as well as the first time he had lost a Super Bowl to a team and a quarterback other than the New York Giants and Eli Manning, respectively.^[372]

2018 season

Brady started his 19th professional season with 277 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in a 27–20 victory over the Houston Texans in the season opener.^[373][374] After losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions over the next two games, Brady had 274 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 38–7 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 4.^[375] In the following game, a 38–24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, he had 341 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions to go with a rushing touchdown. One of his touchdown passes went to Josh Gordon, who became the NFL-record 71st different player to catch a touchdown from Brady.^[376][377] In Week 6, a 43–40 victory over the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football, Brady had 340 passing yards and a passing touchdown to go with a four-yard rushing touchdown.^[378] In Week 7, a 38–31 victory over the Chicago Bears, he had 277 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and one interception.^[379] In week 12, against the New York Jets, Brady passed for 283 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions and a 115.4 passer rating in a 27-13 victory.^[380] In Week 13, Brady reached 1,000 career rushing yards in a 24-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, becoming the oldest player to reach that mark since 1970. ^[381] Week 15, Brady reached 70,000 passing yards, becoming only the fourth quarterback in NFL history to accomplish the feat. He finished with 279 passing yards as the Patriots lost 10-17 to the Steelers.^[382] During Week 16 against the Bills, Brady was limited to 126 passing yards, but the Patriots combined for 273 rushing yards and won 24-12, clinching the AFC East pennant for the 10th consecutive season and 16th time in 18 years. In Week 17, Brady completed 24 of 33 passes for 250 yards, and 4 touchdowns in a 38-3 win against the Jets that allowed the Patriots to clinch the AFC's #2 seed and a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs.^[383] Brady finished the season completing 375 of 570 passes (a 65.8% completion rate), 4,355 yards, 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

‡ Career totals accurate as of the end of the 2017 regular season.^[384]

Playoffs

‡ Career totals accurate through the end of the 2017-18 playoffs.

Super Bowl

NFL records

Regular season (career)

• Most games won by a quarterback: 207^[387]
  


• Best touchdown to interception ratio in a season: 28:2^[388]
  


• Most wins on the road by a quarterback: 88^[389]
  


• Only quarterback to have three consecutive games with 300+ passing yards, 3+ Touchdown-passes and 0 interceptions^[390]
  


• Oldest QB to lead the league in passing yards: 40 ^[391]
  


• Most yards in a single season for a quarterback aged 40 and older (age 40): 4,577^[391]
  


• Most touchdown passes with one team: 517^[392]
  


• Most career passing yards with one team: 70,514^[393]
  

Other endeavors

On January 20, 2016, Brady announced the launch of his peak performance website TB12Sports.com. The site features information on Brady's training regimen and includes a store to purchase TB12 equipment and merchandise.^[408] Later in the year, on August 23, 2016, the TB12 brand then expanded to offer a snack line. The snacks contain raw, vegan, and organic ingredients that are also free of gluten and dairy.^[409] The following month, Brady, alongside Boston Private and Robert Paul Properties, announced the formation of the TB12 Foundation. The purpose of the nonprofit foundation is to provide free post-injury rehabilitation care and training to underprivileged, young athletes.^[410] In March 2017, Brady moved beyond his snack line and partnered with meal-kit startup Purple Carrot to offer his own line of TB12 Performance Meals. The meals utilize whole foods and focus on providing nutrients for workout recovery.^[411][412] On September 19, 2017, Simon & Schuster published Brady's first book, The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance. Within 48 hours, it had become a number one best-seller on Amazon.com.^[413] The book also reached #1 on the New York Times' weekly Best Sellers list, to be featured in the edition of October 8, 2017.^[414]

Filmmaker Gotham Chopra filmed Brady during the 2017 offseason and regular season for a Facebook Watch documentary series entitled Tom vs Time. According to The New York Times, the documentary follows Brady as he "conducts his ongoing subversion campaign against the actuarial tables of quarterback longevity."^[415]

Personal life

Brady riding a bicycle for charity at the Best Buddies Ride in Hyannis, Massachusetts in May 2009

Brady dated actress Bridget Moynahan from 2004 until late 2006.^[416] On February 18, 2007, Moynahan confirmed to People magazine that she was more than three months pregnant with Brady's child.^[416][417] Brady and Moynahan ended their relationship sometime in early December 2006, around the time Moynahan became pregnant.^[418] John Edward Thomas Moynahan^[419] was born on August 22, 2007, at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.^[420] John's middle names are Brady's own first and middle names in reverse order, while Moynahan's father's first name is Edward.

Brady learned Transcendental Meditation.^[421]

Brady began dating Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen in December 2006.^[422] In 2009, Brady revealed they had been set up on a blind date by a mutual friend.^[423] Brady and Bündchen married on February 26, 2009, in an intimate Catholic ceremony in Santa Monica, California.^[424] Together, they have two children: a son named Benjamin Rein was born December 8, 2009,^[425] and a daughter named Vivian Lake was born December 5, 2012.^[426]

Brady has been featured as a guest star on some popular television programs, hosting Saturday Night Live in 2005^[427] and voicing himself on The Simpsons in 2005 ("Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass") and Family Guy in 2006 ("Patriot Games"); both football-themed episodes were broadcast within a week of that year's Super Bowl.^[428][429] In 2009, he appeared as himself in a sixth season episode of Entourage.^[430] In 2015, he had cameo appearances as fictionalized versions of himself in the Entourage movie^[431] and Ted 2.^[432]

Brady and baseball player Kevin Youkilis became brothers-in-law in 2012, when Youkilis married Brady's sister Julie.^[433]

In 2007, Brady was a model for the Stetson cologne.^[434] Brady has endorsed brands including Uggs, Under Armour, Movado, Aston Martin and Glaceau Smartwater. According to Forbes, he earned about $7 million from endorsements alone in 2014.^{[435][436][437]} In 2016, he began appearing in a Beautyrest Black commercial campaign for Simmons Bedding Company.^[438] In 2016, he launched his own line of vegan snacks.^[439]

Brady and his family live in Brookline, Massachusetts and New York City.^[440]

Politics

Brady attended the 2004 State of the Union Address as a special guest of then-President George W. Bush.^[441] In 2004, he told ESPN The Magazine that being a U.S. Senator would be his "craziest ambition".^[442][443]

Brady is a friend of President Donald Trump;^[444][445] in 2017, Brady indicated he had known Trump "for 16 years".^[446] At a political event in New Hampshire on the day before the 2016 presidential election, Trump said he had received a call from Brady, and that Brady told him "Donald, I support you, you're my friend, and I voted for you." However, after Gisele Bündchen was asked directly on Instagram whether she and Brady backed Trump, Bündchen answered "NO!".^[447] After a Trump campaign "Make America Great Again" cap was photographed in Brady's locker, Brady said that Bündchen told him not to discuss politics anymore, which he thought was a "good decision".^[448] Brady did not join most of his teammates from the New England Patriots in visiting Trump and the White House in April 2017, citing "personal family matters".^[449]

While there has been speculation that Brady would run for political office in the future,^[450] in a 2015 interview he stated he had no interest in doing so.^{[451][452][453]}

Diet

Brady and his family adhere to a controversial, strict diet, the TB12 Method, that has attracted much media attention.^[454][455] He advocates drinking "half" of one's body weight in ounces of water daily.^[456] He doesn't eat or drink the majority of fruits, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, coffee, Gatorade, white sugar or flour, gluten, dairy, soda, cereal, white rice, potatoes, and bread.^[457][458]

Other professional athletes including Kirk Cousins^[459] and Mark Scheifele have started to adopt his regimen.^[460][461]

See also

• Lists of Michigan Wolverines football passing leaders


• List of most wins by a National Football League starting quarterback


• NFL starting quarterback playoff records


• List of Saturday Night Live guests

Notes

References