If anyone had gotten close to Antonio Brown during this tumultuous time in the wide receiver's life, it's Tom Brady.
They played together for the first time with the New England Patriots in 2019, and though the time was brief before Brown was cut due to off-the-field issues, the quarterback took interest in keeping him out of trouble.
So far, it's worked out for the duo, and Brown finally scored his first touchdown as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer on Sunday.
Trailing 27-24 in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons, Brady hit Brown on a 46-yard bomb to ultimately win the game.
“It was great," Brady said of Brown's first touchdown reception of the season, via a release from the team. "He’s been working hard at that and (we) finally got him an opportunity to touch one of those. Mike (Evans) did a good job on the other side, the safety kind of got stuck in the middle and A.B just ran right by him. I put it out there for him (and) he made a great catch. Love seeing him get in the end zone.”
Brown after the game discussed how grateful he is to be on the receiving end of the six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback, and was excited to get the opportunity to try and secure the win.
“It’s been a long journey for me," Brown said. "Anytime I get that opportunity, (I’m) always grateful (and) thankful to God. As soon as I caught it, I went straight to my knees and called God and gave praise. (I’m) extremely grateful to be here with Tampa Bay and have the opportunity to live out my dream and play football -- it’s something I love to do. I know not only was I excited, but I know my close friends and family and my kids are all excited for me.”
Brady is one of those people. A teammate who has watched Brown up close as he made it back to the NFL after a disgraced hiatus.
“Obviously as a teammate (and) someone who knows him pretty well, he’s done a lot of work to get to this point," Brady said. "Just proud of him, his focus (and) how he’s prioritized different things."
