Tom Brady played near his hometown of San Mateo, Calif., for just the second time in his legendary 23-year NFL career on Sunday, but it wasn’t the homecoming he had hoped for.
Brady was about 15 minutes away from getting shut out by the team he once rooted for until a late third-quarter touchdown put Tampa Bay on the board in the 49ers’ 35-7 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday.
Not only did he get blown out by his childhood team, but also to make matters worse it happened in front of a flock of his friends and family. FOX Sports' Erin Andrews reported prior to kickoff that Brady requested 100 game tickets from the 49ers.
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On Monday, Brady joined comedians Adam Sandler, Bill Burr and Tracy Morgan on the “Let’s Go!” podcast and talked about some of the added pressures of playing in your hometown.
"Yeah, I had only played there one other time and we had played so well. And then yesterday obviously we got our asses kicked and I was walking to the bus and the woman I was with said, ‘Hey didn’t you want to see your family?’ And I said ‘They stayed? Wow!’ so I turned around and went back," Brady said. "So at least after the game, I got to see my family, my sisters, my nieces, some cousins. My parents left in the third quarter, thank God."
The seven-time Super Bowl champion struggled against the 49ers' dominant defense. He completed 34 of 55 pass attempts for 252 yards with one touchdown pass and two interceptions.
But given the disappointing loss, Brady is just thankful to still be healthy and playing the game he loves.
San Francisco 49ers
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"Look, losing sucks," Brady said. "I also saw [49ers wide receiver] Deebo Samuel carted off the field yesterday. I’ve been carted off the field. Sometimes you think even though losing sucks, at least I got a chance to go out there again next week. It’s just a different perspective."
Brady probably will remember his second and possibly final Bay Area appearance for the rest of his life, but for reasons other than football.