Tom Brady’s teammates send birthday wishes
Tom Brady turned 42 Saturday, and birthday wishes poured in from across the professional sports community.
Tom Brady turned 42 Saturday, and birthday wishes poured in from across the professional sports community (as well as, of course, from wife Gisele Bundchen).
The six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, whose longevity was already the stuff of NFL legend, is showing no signs of slowing as he prepares for the upcoming football season. And on his birthday, teammates took the opportunity to celebrate that accomplishment and him, some more cheekily than others.
Julian Edelman, ever the prankster, posted a reel of Brady-related clips, ranging from unflattering shots of the quarterback with a bowl cut to more triumphant moments of the pair cultivating their bromance on the field and at Disney World.
As one might expect, Edelman included the moment Brady went in for a high-five and, infamously, got nothing back. And, of course, he set the video to Shania Twain’s swooningly romantic “You’re Still the One.” The Patriots wide receiver, hashtagging the post #HBDTB12, captioned it, “You’re too f’n old for birthday cake.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0tLIY-gffn/
Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who retired in March after nine seasons, posted a photo of Brady riding on his back in celebration during a game.
“Happy Birthday #12!,” the athlete formerly known as Gronk wrote on Instagram. “The Big 42!! Now that I am retired, you need to carry me!!”
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On Twitter, the New England Patriots account shared a video of Brady’s teammates talking about their experiences first meeting the quarterback. “He falls into that big brother category,” said running back Brandon Bolden. “That’s my guy. I love Tom.”
Jason McCourty, wearing a Dunder Mifflin cap, noted he met Brady at the Super Bowl in Arizona, back in 2015. “He’s no different to the men left and to the right of him,” said the cornerback. “He just really assimilates and is one of the guys here.”
“Hi, I’m Tom.”
Never change, @TomBrady 😂 pic.twitter.com/PGTdShGnZd
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 3, 2019
Outside the NFL, professional boxer Manny Pacquiao sent his best, writing on Twitter: “After all these years, you still reign as a @SuperBowl champion. You are making me look forward to turning 42! Happy birthday, @TomBrady!” In an Instagram story, soccer legend David Beckham teased Brady, calling him a “young man” while sending birthday wishes.
After all these years, you still reign as a @SuperBowl champion. You are making me look forward to turning 42! Happy birthday, @TomBrady!
— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) August 3, 2019
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh paid tribute to the quarterback on Twitter, too, calling him the “GOAT” in a short tweet.
Happy birthday to the GOAT, Tom Brady. 🐐
Boston is ready to cheer you on for the next 42. #TB12 pic.twitter.com/t0T2xWdvou
— Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) August 3, 2019
Most of the birthday wishes made a point of marveling at Brady’s age. The quarterback stands to set a new record for American football this year: no 42-year-old position player has ever started all 16 games in an NFL season, and Brady’s in a unique place to do exactly that. And only seven non-specialists in NFL history have ever started a game after their 42nd birthday; Brady’s sure to become the eighth.
