Tom Brady has been in the NFL so long that his current teammates watched him in his first Super Bowl from Disney hotels and Pizza Hut
- Tom Brady has been around the NFL for a long time.
- In a story from ESPN, many of Brady's current New England Patriots teammates recalled childhood memories of watching Brady play in his first Super Bowl in 2002.
- Many of Brady's teammates were not 10 years old yet, and have memories of watching the game from Disney hotels or Pizza Hut. Some don't even remember the game.
Tom Brady's incredible longevity is perhaps best appreciated through his current New England Patriots teammates' first memories of watching him.
ESPN's Mike Reiss asked Patriots players about when they remember first seeing Brady, now 41, play in the Super Bowl.
Brady and the Patriots won their first Super Bowl in the 2001 season, Brady's first year as a starter, against the St. Louis Rams. Many of Brady's current teammates were just kids.
Here's what some players told Reiss.
Offensive lineman Ted Karras, who was eight at the time: "We were down in Disney World and my dad took me to the hotel bar — I think it was Goofy's hotel — to watch the Super Bowl against the Rams. My dad let me sit at the bar with him, which I thought was so cool."
Long-snapper Joe Cardona, who was nine at the time: "That was one of the first Super Bowls I remember, going up against the 'Greatest Show on Turf' and nobody really knew who he was. I remember getting Pizza Hut."
Linebacker Elandon Roberts, who was six at the time: "It was the first Super Bowl I watched, we were at my house."
Rookie cornerback Keion Crossen, 22, doesn't even have a memory of the game. He told Reiss that his first memory of watching Brady play was the 2004 AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Crossen would have been seven at the time.
"Pittsburgh was my team. We lost, and I was like, 'Who is this quarterback?'" Crossen said.
Read more: Here's when the Super Bowl starts where you live — and how you can watch it live online
Brady's longevity reportedly doesn't affect his attitude toward younger teammates. Linebacker Kyle Van Noy told Reiss that Brady introduced himself by saying, "Hi, I'm Tom Brady," which impressed Van Noy.
And teammates love it when Brady reminisces on the old days.
Left tackle Trent Brown said, "It's cool to listen and hear from him because he's played through generations of teammates."
- Read more:
- The Eagles kicker ran out to immediately console the Bears' Cody Parker and later defended him after he missed a game-winning field goal
- The NFL playoff bracket and TV schedule after the Wild Card games
- Here's when the Super Bowl starts where you live — and how you can watch it live online
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