Tom Brady breaks down remembering his sixth-round status

Yahoo! Sports

Sun Apr 10 12:27pm EDT

Tom Brady breaks down remembering his sixth-round status

You'd think that three Super Bowl rings, untold millions of dollars, a lead-pipe lock future in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, wedded bliss with the gorgeous Giselle, and the possible exalted status as the best football player of his generation would make Tom Brady (notes) forget that he had to wait until the 199th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft before the New England Patriots called his name.

And you would be wrong.

In a recent film shoot for ESPN's continuing "Year of the Quarterback" series, Brady started to recall how frustrating it was to wait through that draft when he and his parents had been told that he'd probably be a second- or third-round pick. About 1:20 into the highlight of "The Brady Six," a documentary about the six quarterbacks who were chosen before Brady in that draft and what has happened to them, Brady breaks down in a way you wouldn't expect all these years (and successes) later.

Brady talked about how he went for a walk around the block of his family's home with his parents to blow off some steam as he waited … and that's about when you see that competitors of Brady's caliber have a very, very long memory.

"It was just a tough day, you know?" Brady said after he composed himself. "I just remember being there with my mom and dad … sorry about that … they were just so supportive of me. And they take it as emotionally as I do. And finally, when the Patriots called, I was so excited — I was like, 'I don't have to be an insurance salesman!'"

I should say not. There's been a lot of talk over the last few years about how Brady may have lost that edge that made him the player he's been through his career — it's easy to look at the Beiber hair and the glamorous lifestyle and wonder how that's all congruent with the murderous competitive spirit that is required to succeed in the NFL. But long after most "rational" people might have let it go, it's clear to see that Brady is still fueled by the snubs he felt early on.