Football fans are well aware of Tom Brady’s skill set on the field. His leadership is unmatched, his passes are precise and he performs at his best when the pressure is on. But apparently, the New England Patriots quarterback has a talent that not many people are aware of.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss put together a collection of stories from former and current Patriots players and coaches in honor of Brady’s 40th birthday. And while there were several great anecdotes and memories, arguably the best one came from one of Brady’s former backups.
San Francisco 49ers signal-caller Brian Hoyer, who played three seasons with the Patriots from 2009 to 2011, reminisced about a team dinner several years ago where TB12 showcased a secret skill: beer chugging.
“We played up at Buffalo and we couldn’t fly back into Boston because the weather was so bad, so we had to stay the night in Rochester,” Hoyer told Reiss. “We drove there, and we all decided we’d go out to dinner together. Tom being who he was, he usually couldn’t come to a team event like that. We might be at Capital Grille and he is sneaking in the back door, and then people realize he’s there, and he has to leave. But this was impromptu at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Rochester. The whole team is there. And it turns into a beer-chugging contest.
“You have linemen, Julian Edelman, they all think they are going to win. Then someone says, ‘I heard Tom is really great at chugging a beer.’ We don’t usually get to experience him like this, but we finally coax him into doing it. He does it, and let me tell you, you couldn’t have poured out the beer faster into a glass. It was unbelievable. And he slams the mug on the table and puts both fists in the air. He walks away with a look on his face that said, ‘You really thought you were going to beat me on this?’ The place went nuts.”
Hoyer’s tale doesn’t come as a total surprise, as Brady simply is an ultra competitor, whether it be willing his team to victory on the gridiron or tossing back brews at a record pace.
Thumbnail photo via Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports Images
