Tom Brady’s Goat Status Gains Another Seal of Approval as Former Bucks Teammate Shares Interesting Second Locker Room Story

Kyle Rudolph, a former Buccaneers tight end, revealed how Tom Brady handled his teammates and other locker-room secrets.

By Blesson Daniel

Updated on Aug 14, 2024 | 09:06 PM IST | 36.2K

Tom Brady [Credit-Getty Images]

Tom Brady is the best quarterback of all time, as evidenced by his seven Super Bowl rings. But, as with other sports, this is a team game, and Brady may not have reached his current level of excellence without the help of some outstanding teammates.

For 23 years, one may accumulate a large number of teammates, and based on what others in the league and those closest to Brady have stated, he has always been a consummate locker-room comrade despite being the biggest name in sports.

Fans have always wondered what football celebrities are like when they weren't in the spotlight, and we got a glimpse into what it's like to be one of Brady's teammates in the locker room when former Buccaneers teammate Kyle Rudolph sat down for an interview with NBC's Peter King.

Former colleague Kyle Rudolph said that Tom Brady has an empty locker next to his primary one where he stored his football clothes. Fans are curious about what was put in the vacant locker.

According to Rudolph, Brady had an empty locker next to his primary one that was designated for a specific reason. While this locker was not utilized to store equipment, it did serve as a spot for teammates to deposit helmets, jerseys, and other mementos for Brady to autograph.

Rudolph said, “Tom had an empty locker next to him. I would look over there and every day, guys would put helmets, jerseys, pictures, footballs, all the stuff they wanted Tom to sign for them. There’d be notes on the stuff, a post-it note on a football—‘Sign this for Jimmy, it’s his birthday.’ At the end of the day, almost every day, he’d sit there and sign everything.”

Rudolph went on to say how much he respects Brady's character and how he respects everyone in the organization.

“My experience with Tom was incredible. First, the way he treated people. The way he treated the Glazer family [Bucs owners] is exactly the way he treated the janitor at 6:30 at night when he and maybe one or two other guys were the last players in the building.”

In his final season, Brady was not only dealing with football issues, but he was also going through a divorce from his now ex-wife Gisele Bundchen, which combined off-field distractions with on-field performance. Rudolph praised Brady's determination and positive attitude on the squad.

“If anyone had the right to sometimes be an a—hole, it was Tom. He never was. Think of how tough a year it was for him off the field. The most amazing thing to me was, with all the negativity swirling around his life outside of football, he never carried it into the building. Always positive.”

“I didn’t think it’d be possible when I walked into the team to be more impressed with Tom. But I was.”

The legacy of Brady as a perfect teammate will endure. He is a proven winner, and you don't get there by happenstance or by being undervalued in the locker room. Brady was able to combine all of his wonderful characteristics to bring the most out of people around him, as seen by his professional successes.

Also Read: When 39 Years Old Tom Brady Said ‘He’d Crush His 22-Year Old Self at NFL Combine’