1977-present
Latest News: Tom Brady Subject of Netflix Roast
Tom Brady’s competitive streak is seemingly alive and well ahead of his roast on Netflix.
The quarterback is the man of honor at The Greatest Roast of All Time—or GROAT, a play on Brady’s nickname as the GOAT—airing at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 5, and hosted by Kevin Hart.
While most of the fun will be at Brady’s expense—former teammates Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman are set to skewer the seven-time Super Bowl champ, and longtime head coach Bill Belichick will reportedly appear as well—the quarterback has prepared his own “ruthless” set of jokes for all of the special guests, according to comedian Jeff Ross. “I think he, at his own roast, might have the set of the night,” Ross said on a recent episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live. “Because I watched him rehearse last night—not rehearse, but running some material. And he’s ruthless. He wants to win his own roast.”
Ross also promised “a few giant surprises” during the night. However, if Brady’s adaptability on the football field were any indicator, he’d be ready for anything.
Who Is Tom Brady?
American football player Tom Brady won a record seven Super Bowl championships as a former NFL quarterback. Drafted by the New England Patriots in 2000, Brady won three NFL MVP awards and five Super Bowl MVP awards before his final retirement after the 2022 season.
In an incident known as “Deflategate,” Brady was suspended after an investigation into the charges that he knew about the illegal deflation of footballs before a vital playoff game in 2015. Despite sitting out the first four games of the 2016 season, Brady led the Patriots to a Super Bowl LI victory over the Atlanta Falcons. After 20 seasons in New England, Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2020 and won his final Super Bowl with the team in February 2021. He is also known for marrying supermodel Gisele Bündchen; the couple divorced in 2022.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr.
BORN: August 3, 1977
BIRTHPLACE: San Mateo, California
SPOUSE: Gisele Bündchen (2009-2022)
CHILDREN: Jack, Benjamin, Vivian
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Leo
Early Life and College Career
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. was born on August 3, 1977, in San Mateo, California; Brady excelled at both football and baseball at Junipero Serra High School. After graduating in 1995, Brady passed up a chance to play professional baseball to attend the University of Michigan.
Although a member of the school’s football team, Brady did not spend much time on the field in his first two college seasons. In his junior year, however, he served as the starting quarterback. That season, Brady threw 350 passes for 2,636 yards. He helped lead his team to an Orange Bowl victory in his final season.
NFL Star with New England Patriots
Moving on to the NFL, Brady was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft. Initially, he served as a backup quarterback and played only one game during his first season.
The 2001 season was different: After starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe was injured, Brady took over, proving himself a strong leader with a mighty arm. Anyone who doubted his abilities only had to look at the team’s record, an impressive 11 wins to 3 losses in the 14 games that Brady started. In the postseason, he helped the team secure a win over the St. Louis Rams at Super Bowl XXXVI, and Brady received the game’s MVP award.
Two years later, Brady led his team to another win at Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Carolina Panthers, for which he earned a second Super Bowl MVP award. And in the 2004 season, Brady again led the team to Super Bowl success, taking down the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21.
In 2005, Brady signed a new six-year contract with the Patriots, and for the 2006 season, the team had a 12-4 record in the regular season.
Near-Undefeated Season and Injury
With star wide receiver Randy Moss in the fold, the Patriots developed one of the most explosive offenses in NFL history in 2007. Brady passed for a then-record 50 touchdowns to pick up his first MVP award, and the Patriots ran roughshod over the rest of the league en route to an undefeated regular season before suffering a gut-wrenching loss to the New York Giants at Super Bowl XLII.
During the first game of the 2008 season, Brady was quickly sidelined with a knee injury. He had several surgeries and extensive rehabilitation to repair the damage, forcing him to sit out the entire season. While some wondered whether the injury would be a career-ender, Brady returned to prove the doubters wrong. He signed a new contract with the team in 2010.
In the 2011 season, Brady pulled out all the stops, helping the team secure their place at Super Bowl XLVI. The Patriots once again battled the New York Giants in football’s ultimate game. Before the big event, Brady’s then-wife, model Gisele Bündchen, emailed friends and family. She asked them to pray for Brady and to “envision him happy and fulfilled, experiencing with his team a victory.” Unfortunately, these prayers went unanswered as the Giants beat the Patriots 21-17.
Brady made headlines in December 2012 following a close game between the New England Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers. Brady had led the Patriots back from a 28-point deficit by the fourth quarter, but the 49ers ultimately took the game, 41-34. Brady later commented on the game's outcome, stating on WEEI-AM, “I’m really proud of the fact our guys never blinked an eye down 28 points against probably the best defense in the league.”
Deflategate and Super Bowl XLIX Win
After the 2014 season, a new word entered the lexicon of Tom Brady lore: “Deflategate.” After Brady’s Patriots trounced the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game, it was discovered that several of the 12 game balls used by the Patriots were underinflated, one measuring 2 pounds per square inch below the minimum mark allowed by the NFL. Accusations of cheating followed, with Brady saying, “I didn’t alter the balls in any way, [and] I would never have someone do something that was outside the rules.”
Making the accusations more notable than they otherwise might be, in 2007, Patriots coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 for an incident in which the Patriots were caught videotaping the signals of an opposing coach in direct violation of league rules.
Amid the media frenzy that accompanied the cheating accusations, Brady kept focused on preparing to play the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. En route to setting a Super Bowl record with 37 completions, Brady led his team back from a 10-point deficit to notch a thrilling 28-24 victory. With the win, he became the third quarterback to win four championships and the second to earn three Super Bowl MVP awards, cementing his standing as one of the greatest ever to play his position.
The subject of Deflategate returned to the headlines in May 2015, when a report released by investigator Ted Wells revealed that Brady was “generally aware” that a locker room attendant had tampered with footballs before the AFC Championship game. The quarterback was suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season, and Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld the punishment in July following an appeal. Brady and the NFL Players Association then filed a lawsuit to have the suspension overturned, their efforts proving successful in early September when a federal judge ruled in the quarterback’s favor on the grounds that the suspension was premised upon legal deficiencies.
The NFL appealed in 2016, and a judge overturned the decision to block Brady’s suspension. Brady appealed again, but in July 2016, he said he would accept his suspension.
Historic Super Bowl LI Victory
Despite missing the first four games of the 2016 season, Brady helped the Patriots clinch another spot in the Super Bowl, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs. Before the championship game, Brady told reporters that he wanted to win the game for his mother, who was suffering from an undisclosed illness. “She’s the one I want to win for,” Brady said.
With his mother in attendance at the NRG Stadium in Houston and millions of fans watching, Brady did not disappoint. In a thrilling game, the first that went into overtime in NFL history, Brady led the Patriots to a 34-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. With this historic win, Brady became the first quarterback in NFL history to take home five Super Bowl rings. He surpassed quarterbacks Joe Montana, one of his idols, and Terry Bradshaw, who both have four Super Bowl wins. He also was awarded his fourth Super Bowl MVP for leading a 25-point comeback and throwing a Super Bowl-record 466 passing yards. Super Bowl LI marked Brady’s seventh appearance in the big game, and it was also an NFL record.
More Records and Super Bowl LIII Win
Showing no signs of slowing down at age 40, Brady threw for an NFL-high 4,577 yards while guiding New England to a 13-3 record in 2017. He shrugged off an ESPN report of a supposed rift between the QB, his coach and Patriots owner Robert Kraft, but a more serious issue surfaced in mid-January 2018 when Brady hurt his throwing hand in practice days before the AFC Championship Game. Although the injury reportedly required more than 10 stitches to close, Brady proved able enough to outlast a robust defensive effort from the Jacksonville Jaguars, throwing for a late touchdown to complete the comeback win and claim a fantastic eighth AFC title.
Brady lived up to his big-game reputation in Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles, surpassing his previous year's mark by throwing for a record 505 yards. However, the Patriots were forced to play catch-up nearly all evening, thanks to the inspired play of opposing quarterback Nick Foles. Brady’s last-second heave into the end zone was knocked away to seal the heartbreaking 41-33 defeat.
Even with the disappointing finish, there was little doubt that Brady remained the gold standard at the game’s most important position, as illustrated by the NFL Network’s designation of him as the league’s top-ranked player heading into 2018. While there were signs of slippage—Brady threw 11 interceptions, his highest total since 2013—the veteran QB continued to come up big when it counted, guiding New England to the Super Bowl for the ninth time in his remarkable career.
Unlike matchups from previous years, Super Bowl LIII between the Patriots and Los Angeles Rams was a low-scoring affair, and Brady didn’t even throw a touchdown. Yet, there he was, engineering a pair of fourth-quarter scoring drives that helped the Patriots pull away for the 13-3 win, giving the quarterback an incredible sixth Super Bowl victory—the most for any player at any position.
Leaving New England for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Even with critics carefully scrutinizing the 42-year-old quarterback’s play, New England began the 2019 season with eight consecutive wins. However, the Patriots lost three of their final six games and were sent packing in the first round of the playoffs by the Tennessee Titans.
Following a season in which his passer rating slipped to 88.0, and he failed to earn a Pro Bowl selection for the first time since his injury-marred 2008 campaign, Brady’s NFL future became a source of debate for fans who wondered whether he would retire, re-sign with New England or play elsewhere.
On March 17, 2020, the QB answered one of those questions with a statement on his social media accounts that revealed his intention to continue his career elsewhere. Thanking the Patriots faithful, he wrote: “My children were born and raised here, and you always embraced this California kid as one of your own. I love your commitment and loyalty to your teams, and winning for our city means more than you will ever know.”
On March 20, 2020, Brady announced that he had signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Two months later, he reunited with longtime New England tight end Rob Gronkowski, who came out of retirement to join his favorite QB in Tampa Bay.
Following losing to the New Orleans Saints in the 2020 NFL season opener, Brady got his team back on track with three consecutive wins, the last of those powered by an impressive five-touchdown performance. A midseason lull included a crushing 38-3 loss to the Saints, but Brady again righted the ship, closing the regular season with four straight wins to propel Tampa Bay into the playoffs for the first time in 13 years.
After throwing for 381 yards and two touchdowns in a January 2021 Wild Card win over Washington, Brady threw for two more scores to help Tampa Bay upset the Saints and advance to a conference title game for the 14th time in his career. The following week, the 43-year-old overcame three interceptions to engineer another upset, this time over the Green Bay Packers, and became the fourth quarterback to lead two teams to the Super Bowl.
In February 2021, Brady won his seventh Super Bowl, defeating Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9.
First Retirement and Final Season
In February 2022, Brady announced his retirement after 22 seasons. “I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention,” he said in a post to Instagram. However, the following month, Brady shocked everyone by announcing he would, in fact, return for one more season with Tampa Bay.
Although the Bucs were inconsistent from week to week, finishing with a losing record of 8-9, they won the NFC South division and advanced to the playoffs. However, the team lost in the wild-card round to the Dallas Cowboys.
Brady retired again as a player, this time for good, in February 2023. However, he is far from done with the NFL. In fall 2024, Brady will begin a lucrative TV deal as a color commentator for FOX Sports—reportedly a 10-year contract worth $375 million.
Ex-Wife Gisele Bündchen and Kids
In addition to the history he made as a football player, Brady was also known as half of one of pop culture’s biggest power couples with Brazilian supermodel Bündchen until their 2022 divorce.
The pair had met through friends in 2006 and began dating, ultimately marrying in February 2009. Brady and Bündchen have two children: son Benjamin, born in December 2009, and daughter Vivian in December 2012. Brady also has his eldest son, Jack, born in August 2007, from a prior relationship with actor Bridget Moynahan.
Bündchen and Brady announced their separation in October 2022 and quickly finalized their divorce. Many reports attributed the breakup to Brady’s decision to walk back his retirement earlier that year and return for one more season with the Buccaneers. However, Bündchen denied this in a March 2023 interview with Vanity Fair. “What’s been said is one piece of a much bigger puzzle,” she said. “Sometimes you grow together; sometimes you grow apart. When I was 26 years old and he was 29 years old, we met, we wanted a family, we wanted things together. As time goes by, we realize that we just wanted different things, and now we have a choice to make. That doesn’t mean you don’t love the person.”
After the split, Brady was romantically linked to Russian fashion model Irina Shayk. However, their relationship reportedly ended in October 2023, and they were last seen together in January 2024.
Life Outside Football
Brady was chosen as one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” in 2002 and hosted the popular comedy show Saturday Night Live in 2005.
Not surprisingly, given the latter, Brady has proven himself comfortable in front of film and TV cameras. He has made guest appearances in series such as cartoons The Simpsons (2005) and Family Guy (2006), Entourage (2009), and Living with Yourself (2019). He has also made appearances in the films Stuck on You (2003), Ted 2 (2015), and 80 for Brady (2023), about a group of female friends (played by Sally Field, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno, and Jane Fonda) who try to fulfill their dream of seeing the QB play in the Super Bowl.
Brady also served as the executive producer of Man in the Arena: Tom Brady, a 10-episode docuseries airing from 2021 to 2022 about his NFL career and life off the field.
In 2016, Brady launched TB12—his own lifestyle and merchandise brand dedicated to health and fitness. He published an accompanying 2017 book titled The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance.
In October 2023, the WNBA approved Brady’s request for a minority stake in the Las Vegas Aces franchise. He is also a minority owner of the English soccer club Birmingham City.
Net Worth
Celebrity Net Worth estimates Brady’s total fortune at around $300 million as of March 2024. Much of that stems from the nearly $500 million he made from endorsements supplementing his NFL playing salary.
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