'Tom Terrific' Brady squeaky clean no more
By Larry Fine (Reuters) - Overlooked as a college quarterback and a lowly sixth-round draft pick by the National Football League's New England Patriots in 2000, Tom Brady rose to become one of the game's greatest winners. The handsome signal-caller with steely nerves and an intense competitive streak steered the Pats to a record six Super Bowl appearances, winning four of them and taking home Most Valuable Player honors in the NFL's championship game on three occasions. Brady, married to supermodel Gisele Bundchen and nicknamed "Tom Terrific," seemed to live a charmed life before being branded a cheater in the NFL scandal dubbed Deflategate. Linked with Pats Bill Belichick as the most successful NFL coach/quarterback duo ever, Brady's four-game suspension for his role in the softening of footballs to improve his grip on them now has linked him in disgrace with the coach. Belichick was fined $500,000 for illegally videotaping New York Jets coaches to steal their signs during the 2007 season in what came to be known as Spygate. Brady, 37, grew up in San Mateo, California, with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana as his idol. He attended the University of Michigan, but found it hard to win play time, serving as a backup quarterback for his first two years behind future NFL quarterback Brian Griese, who led the 1997 Wolverines to an undefeated season and a Rose Bowl triumph. Brady had moments of glory in the next two seasons but in the NFL Draft was available for New England with the 199th pick. Backing up starter Drew Bledsoe, Brady barely played his rookie season, completing 1-of-3 passes for six yards in 2000. In the second game of the 2001 season, Bledsoe was wiped out by a thunderous tackle and Brady took over. The Patriots went on to win 11 of the 14 games Brady started, including six straight to cap the regular season and claim the American Football Conference's East division title. New England went on to beat Pittsburgh in the AFC title game and eked out a last second victory over the St. Louis Rams as Brady became the then-youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl. COMPETITIVE ZEAL Bledsoe was traded to Buffalo in the offseason and the Brady era was in full swing as the Patriots won the Super Bowl for the 2003 and 2004 NFL seasons. A fixture in the playoffs, the Pats suffered excruciating losses to the New York Giants in 2007, ending their bid for a perfect 19-0 season, and in 2011, before claiming their fourth NFL crown with a thrilling win over Seattle three months ago. Off-field, Brady's fairytale story hit a bump in 2006 when the quarterback left his girlfriend, actress Bridget Moynahan, and began dating Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen. Moynahan subsequently gave birth to a child by Brady, who went on to marry Bundchen in 2009 and have two children together and a glamorous jet-set lifestyle. Not blessed with the strongest arm, Brady thrived on the gridiron through intelligence, an ability to read defenses, a quick delivery and a competitive zeal fueled by a chip on his shoulder to prove the early doubters wrong. To help keep New England on top, Brady took less money in contract negotiations to help the Pats add more talent. Through it all, Brady has been a model of excellence. He has won two league MVP awards, been selected 10 times to the Pro Bowl and led the Patriots to a dozen division titles, more than any other NFL quarterback. He has posted a lofty postseason record of 21-8 for most NFL playoff wins as a quarterback and thrown for the most passing yards and touchdowns in Super Bowl history. Brady and coach Belichick have combined to win 160 regular season games and 21 postseason games together -- both NFL records. Now Brady will take a seat for the first quarter of the 2015 season, forfeit about $2 million in salary and take a hit to the squeaky clean image that graced his first 15 seasons in the league and made him one of the game's most popular players. (Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Frank Pingue)
