Tom Brady can probably count his sub-par practices on one hand. But there’s one poor practice he’ll never forget. And it’s no coincidence, he said, when it happened.
“The one day I had to wear [an Ohio State jersey] to practice, that was the worst day of practice I’ve ever had in my life,” Brady said on “Big Noon Kickoff” before No. 15 Michigan hosted the top-ranked Buckeyes. “It’s the ugliest jersey I’ve ever put on.”
Brady had to wear former New England Patriots teammate Mike Vrabel’s jersey after Ohio State beat Michigan in 2012.
“That color didn’t treat me well,” Brady added.
In his final season at Michigan in 1999, Brady guided the Wolverines to a 24-17 win over the Buckeyes. The defining moment came on the game-winning drive, which he finished with a crisp 10-yard touchdown strike to Marquise Walker. True to form, though, Brady was quick to deflect the praise.
“The offensive line was giving me tons of time to stand back there,” he said. “I just had a granite wall and I could sit back there and pick apart those Buckeyes.”
When Brady talks to current college athletes, he refers to his final game against Ohio State and that decisive drive, all the time. It’s what he wants Michigan athletes to experience right now.
“When I get a chance to talk to a lot of college athletes, I say, ‘I hope this experience is hard for you. I hope it’s not easy,'” Brady said. “Life is hard. The challenges of life are hard. This program is hard. It’s built on toughness. It’s built on resilience. That’s what I want to see from this team today.”
Tom Brady’s ELECTRIC Pregame Speech to Michigan 😤
There’s a lot on the line for Michigan (9-2) on Saturday. With a win, the Wolverines keep their hopes alive for a spot in the Big Ten Championship game and the College Football Playoff. It would also mark their fifth straight win against Ohio State, an occurrence that hasn’t happened in 99 years. The Buckeyes, however, won’t make that easy.
But that’s exactly what Brady wants.
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