By Abhiveer Singh
Tom Brady is considered by many to be the greatest football player of all time. Brady’s performance has been perceived as legendary, especially in light of his underdog beginnings.
He was born in California in 1977, and he went on to attend high school at Junípero Serra, a Catholic prep school in San Mateo. Surprisingly, he did not start as quarterback in his freshman year. Nonetheless, Brady persevered, and by the end of high school, he had received interest from college programs such as UC Berkeley, University of Southern California, UCLA, University of Illinois and University of Michigan.
Brady enrolled at the University of Michigan, not getting much playing time for the first two years. To the surprise of many, when Brady entered the NFL, he was not a star draft prospect; in fact, he was quite the opposite.
Brady was chosen in the sixth round of the draft by the New England Patriots, despite being one of the slowest quarterbacks that year. Fans find that one of the most impressive things about Brady was his confidence from the day he picked up the mantle as NFL quarterback. This confidence revealed his character from the start; yet, the cycle continued. Brady would get very little playing time in his first season as a NFL quarterback.
In the second season, however, with starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe out with injuries, Brady stepped in and worked to earn his spot. He helped the Patriots make the playoffs and then helped them win the Super Bowl against the Rams, despite the Patriots being the underdogs in the match.
In 2005, after having won the Super Bowl twice before, Brady was entering official dynasty territory, looking to win his third Super Bowl. During that February, Brady went against the Eagles, where he threw two touchdowns to win the Super Bowl. He joined the company as one of the few quarterbacks to win three Super Bowls in four years.
Years later, Brady defeated the Falcons 28-3, setting Super Bowl records this year that further solidified his position as an accomplished football player.
However, the biggest change came in 2020, when Brady entered free agency after nearly two decades with the New England Patriots. He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had seen little success. Despite this, Brady led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory in his first season with the team.
Artwork by Saffah Azeem
Brady returning after twenty-two seasons has fans feeling connected to his "spirit. "
These past few months have been an interesting time for Brady. He announced his retirement on February 1, 2022, using social media. Brady’s official announcement came three days after confusion from his health and wellness company, who announced he was done playing, but took down the post. Later, Brady made an announcement on social media saying, "I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore…I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention."
After seemingly ending a successful career, Brady revealed that he will return for a 23rd season, two months after he announced his retirement.
"It’s very exciting to see him come back and witness his greatness once again,” sophomore Vincent Jiang said.
Sophomore Chad Zboril shared his distaste for Tom Brady in regards to selling the ball he used when scoring his last touchdown.
"Tom Brady lied to his fans and cost a man $500,000,” Zboril said.
Brady tweeted, “I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now.”
Whether excited or upset for Brady’s return, fans can only wait to see where his career goes next.