- As a rookie, Tom Brady was as competitive at video games as he was on the football field.
- According to a former teammate and roommate, Brady would throw his controller after losing at Tecmo Bowl.
- Brady’s competitiveness is intense, but it’s tough to argue with his seven Super Bowl wins.
Tom Brady is known across the NFL as the most competitive player in football.
Whether it’s brushing off a hangover for an early morning workout or engaging in a bit of trash talk, the seven-time Super Bowl winner is always looking for an edge over the competition.
According to a report from Alex Prewitt at Sports Illustrated, the fire inside Brady is not contained to the football field; it showed itself even when he was a rookie with the Patriots and spent his free time playing video games.
Sports Illustrated spoke with former Patriots tight end Chris Eitzmann, who lived with Brady in a condo before Brady went on to become the GOAT.
“Nintendo, Ping-Pong, pool, you beat him and he was pissed,” Eitzmann told SI.
According to the story, Brady, Eitzmann, and fellow teammate David Nugent — a defensive lineman who also lived with Brady for three years — would hold round-robin Tecmo Bowl tournaments. A Nintendo classic, Tecmo Bowl was the first console game to include real players from the NFL.
Brady would play with the 49ers, while Eitzmann would take the Raiders, and with them, Bo Jackson — possibly the most dominant athlete in the history of video games.
After a loss, Brady would be livid.
“He’d throw the controller against the wall,” Eitzmann said. “He wouldn’t talk to me for half a day.”
While that intensity may seem a bit over the top, it was the same energy Brady showed on the field as he blossomed into the most successful quarterback in NFL history.
“His drive to get better was insane,” Eitzmann said. “He’s probably the most competitive person I’ve ever met in my life.”
Eitzmann isn’t the first to describe a frustrated Brady giving someone the cold shoulder after losing.
Speaking with “The Dan Patrick Show” in 2019, pro golfer Jordan Spieth said that he once played a round with Brady at Augusta National, and the evening ended with Brady icing him out for a while after losing the lead on the final hole.
“You’re supposed to go in at Augusta and, you know, have lunch and hang out,” Spieth said. “He didn’t say a word to me for like an hour and a half … I am very, very competitive, and he is the most competitive human being I’ve ever met. This is like a fun round.”
Brady’s results on the field speak for themselves, though. You don’t win seven Super Bowls without a drive that borders on obsession.