"That was the one that hit hard" - Tom Brady reveals his 'Welcome to the NFL' moment
In his 22 NFL seasons, Tom Brady is certain to have some great stories about what he's seen over the years. Brady's move to Tampa has further galvanized his right to feel free to speak on things and show a more personable side of him that was frowned upon as a member of the New England Patriots.
From his own "Let's Go" podcast to a web series with fellow tight end and good friend Rob Gronkowski, Brady is having the time of his life on and off the field in Florida.
Recently, Brady dropped another precious nugget for fans and media members alike in his "Man in the Arena" documentary that has been airing on ESPNPlus.
Get your popcorn ready 🍿
Man In The Arena: Tom Brady Ep. 2 streaming Tuesday, Nov. 23rd on @ESPNPlus. https://t.co/KeBfenRicK
Tom Brady's 'Welcome to the NFL' moment
In the second episode of "Man in the Arena," Brady talked about what officially ushered him into the NFL. Was it a crushing blow, similar to what injured former Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe?
Could it have been when he missed the 2008 NFL season with a season-ending knee injury?
The simple answer is no...that moment revolved around a beloved Patriots player being released.
Before the start of the 2003 NFL season, longtime Patriots safety Lawyer Milloy was released. Milloy was drafted by the Patriots in the 1996 NFL Draft.
At the time of him being drafted, Bill Parcells was the head coach of the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick was the coach of the defensive secondary.
This is perhaps one reason it was so surprising to many that Milloy was released prior to the 2003 season. Veteran safety Rodney Harrison had signed with the Patriots as well months before Milloy's release.
Tom Brady was shocked by his first practices with Rodney Harrison 😳
“Rodney didn’t give a f---.”
Ep. 2 of Man In The Arena is now streaming ➡️ es.pn/3DNRewH https://t.co/nOkWepRyar
Milloy refused to take a pay cut to his salary. At the time, he was in the midst of a seven-year, 35 million USD deal.
Here's what Brady had to say about how he felt over Lawyer Milloy being released:
"It was the first time that I recognized that this was, you know, a really tough business."
"I didn’t know they brought Rodney in to replace Lawyer, I thought they brought Rodney in to complement Lawyer,” Brady said. “I just was so mad that we let him go, and I just couldn’t understand why we let this guy go, who had meant so much to the team. That was kind of the welcome to pro football moment."
Needless to say, Rodney Harrison would go on to help Brady and the Patriots win two more Super Bowls.