Kobe Bryant's death reaffirmed Tom Brady's desire to continue playing in the NFL
In 2020, the world lost a sporting giant, Kobe Bryant. Tom Brady came out a few weeks later with a deeply moving tribute to Bryant.
In a statement, Tom Brady confessed that he had shed many a tear at Kobe Bryant's death and how he had been moved by what Kobe Bryant represented to so many around the world.
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Now, an excerpt from the fabulous new book, It’s Better to Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness - Copyright © 2021 by Seth Wickersham, details how that event became a clarifying moment in Tom Brady's life and reaffirmed his desire to keep playing football in the NFL.
Kobe Bryant's greatness inspired Tom Brady to his own
The book tells the story about how a young undergraduate, by the name of Sean Dorcellus, approached Tom Brady in the VIP room after a basketball game that Tom Brady and Julian Edelman were attending at Syracuse University. Dorcellus opened with how he found Tom Brady's statement on Kobe Bryant's death so moving, especially about how Kobe Bryant positively reinforced those he interacted with.
In talking to Dorcellus, Tom Brady found himself cast in that position where he was in the shoes of a mentor who could inspire a young man. When he talked to the Syracuse junior, he mentioned that he should look for a job which he loved and where he was loved. As Tom Brady did so, it perhaps crystallized in him his own thoughts as he was looking to leave the New England Patriots.
He loved doing what he was doing. But Tom Brady did not feel he was loved anymore within the organization. He felt as if both owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick had given up on him. But thinking back to Kobe Bryant's ideals, he found himself being freed from doubts and finding the desire with renewed vigor to keep playing in the NFL.
Haven't done these standings in a while, so here's the update after Thursday Night Football ...
Tom Brady 20-6
Bill Belichick 9-12
Brady got to 20 wins post-breakup faster than Bill got to 10.
Perhaps that is how it was meant to be. Tom Brady, who had been so sure of himself all throughout his career, was faced with a moment of doubt as his career in New England dwindled down. But from beyond the horizon, Kobe Bryant peeped to let him take control again. Two athletes, two of the greatest players of their generation, and one understood the other as only he possibly could.
Also Read: What was Kobe Bryant's net worth in 2021?