Tom Brady is a quarterback who sports announcers have compared to some of the best players in football. He was drafted as a sixth round pick, becoming the second string quarterback for the Patriots, and is the only quarterback in the NFL to win six Super Bowl championships. It was this decision that Bill Belichick made that would launch Tom Brady’s career, along with making him a household name, beloved or hated.

In high school, Brady was a multi-sport athlete, playing football and baseball. By the time he graduated in 2005, Brady was offered the opportunity to play baseball professionally, but ultimately chose to attend the University of Michigan for football. It wasn’t until Brady’s junior year in college that he had the opportunity to be the starting quarterback.

Despite his late start, once he became the starting quarterback, Brady proved his skill; Brady threw 350 passes for 2,636 yards. He even led Michigan to an Orange Bowl win. When Brady finished his career at Michigan, he entered into the 2000 NFL Draft and was drafted by the New England Patriots. 

Brady’s NFL career began in the shadows of quarterback, Drew Bledsoe. In Brady’s first season, he was the backup quarterback, but during his second season, it was his time to step into the pocket as Bledsoe had suffered a crucial injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. Brady got the opportunity to start in 14 games that season, and the Patriots had a record of 11-3.

Brady and the Patriots went into the postseason, and ended up taking home the title of Super Bowl XXXVI champions, beating the St. Louis Rams (now known as the Los Angeles Rams as of 2016). Brady also secured the Super Bowl MVP award during his first Super Bowl appearance.

Two years later, Brady and the Patriots ended up in Super Bowl XXXVIII, and were crowned Super Bowl champions once again, beating the Carolina Panthers. This is where Brady earned his second Super Bowl MVP award.

The following year, the Patriots came out victorious in Super Bowl XXXIX, beating the Philadelphia Eagles. After winning three Super Bowl rings with the Patriots, Brady signed a six year contract, indicating that he was going to be staying with the Patriots for a long time. Brady would bring the Patriots to Super Bowl XLII in 2007 and Super Bowl XLVI in 2011, but lost to the New York Giants both times. 

In the 2014 season, scandal, coined the Deflategate, erupted in Brady’s career. The Patriots had faced the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC championship game, and after the second-half kickoff, twelve of the balls that had been used in the first half had been exchanged for 12 replacement balls. When Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson made an interception, he felt that there was something off with the pressure of the football. When brought to the Colt’s equipment staff to keep as a souvenir, they noticed the ball was under-inflated. The Colt’s coach, Chuck Pagano was put on notice immediately. The Patriots, as well as Brady, were put under investigation.

However, even amongst all of the chaos, Brady was able to lead the Patriots to another win in Super Bowl XLIX, beating the Seattle Seahawks 28-24. Sadly, the celebrations were cut short, when on May 6, 2015, the NFL deflategate report was released, stating that it was “more probable than not”  that Brady and the Patriots tampered with the footballs. This lead to the ruling of Brady receiving a four game suspension at the beginning of the next season. Brady filed a lawsuit against the NFL, and with the help of the NFL Players Association, the judge ruled in his favor, overturning the initial ruling of the suspension due to legal deficiencies. However, the NFL appealed, and the ruling was overturned once more, meaning Brady had to serve his suspension. Brady went to appeal once more, but eventually accepted his fate, and served his four game suspension at the beginning of the 2015 season. 

Even after the scandal, the Patriots went on to win Super Bowl LI, beating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28, making history by being the first Super Bowl to go into overtime. With a 25 point deficit, Brady was able to help bring the Patriots up to close unanswered points, pushing into overtime. During the overtime, the Patriots won the coin toss, and were able to score on that drive, securing the title. Brady then went on to win his most recent championship, Super Bowl LIII, beating the Los Angeles Rams 13-3. 

“Tom Brady is a smart quarterback. He always knows what defense he’s playing and their weaknesses, and how to take advantage of them,” said HB lineman Josh Parr ‘21. “He is also confident in the pocket, which means he trusts his linemen to make sure he doesn’t get sacked, which allows him to not panic.”

This year, the Patriots lost in the AFC wildcard round to the Tennessee Titans, taking them out of the running for the Super Bowl. With the Patriots floundering at the end of their season, are fans still supporting Brady?

“I’ve been a Patriots fan for 35 years,” said Patriots superfan Becky Graziano-Stevenson. “[Brady] is a great player, he is very smart, he’s a family man, he is humble, and he is a good teammate.” Stevenson has been watching Brady since he was drafted into the Patriots. For her, she is watching Brady’s career come full circle with rumors that Brady could potentially be retiring during the offseason.

Brady stated in an interview, “Who knows what the future holds?” Many may speculate with his new free agent status that he could change teams, retire, or remain with the Patriots. Hannah Brown ‘21 has always been surrounded by football. “[I’ve been watching football] ever since I was a little kid. Football has always been a part of my family,” said Brown. Brown mentioned that even if Brady were to play elsewhere or retire, she would still be a Patriots fan. Brady’s loyal fan base was riled up during Super Bowl LIV, due to his announcement in a Hulu ad, stating that he will not be leaving the Patriots this year.

Caption: Tom Brady, six time Super Bowl champion, has retirement rumors circulating. He has been with the Patriots since 2000 and has been their starting quarterback since 2001. “I will always be a Patriots fan, but if Tom Brady were to retire or if he were to go somewhere else being a free agent this year, I would always want his team to win except when they are playing the Patriots,” said Stevenson.