Bill Belichick Recalls Wild Story Of Tom Brady Nearly ‘Dying’ At Pebble Beach

'I was never more worried about Tom'

According to Bill Belichick, Tom Brady’s most improbable moment might’ve come on the golf course, not the gridiron.

During his surprise appearance on Monday night’s “Let’s Go!” podcast episode, Belichick told a wild story about Brady nearly risking his life when the two played together in the 2014 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. The New England Patriots head coach told the story years ago, but Monday’s version included a bit more flavor.

(You can click here to listen to Belichick’s story, which starts at the 33-minute mark.)

“So, Tom and I played together for three days in the Pro-Am out there,” Belichick said. “And I think, if I could sum up Tom Brady in one picture, it would be on the sixth hole where he drove the ball to the right — it looked like he was over the cliff, right, when he teed off, he was way to the right — and we get down there, and he’s standing over the cliff, and he’s like, ‘I think I see it.’ And he takes his club down there and he climbs over the cliff. I can only see from about his shoulders up. Now, it’s 200 feet down into the rocks. There’s no way he survives this fall. And I’m looking at the greatest quarterback, our player, Tom Brady standing there, literally on a goddamn ledge.

“And he hits the ball off the ledge, up the hill to the sixth green, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘I mean, this is Tom Brady.’ Like, No. 1: super competitor. He’s trying to hit this impossible shot. Comes pretty close to honestly dying and landing in the goddamn rocks 200 feet below. All in the name of competition, and being the best he can be and taking whatever the situation is, wherever the ball lands, and playing it, hitting the next good shot. And I was like, man, when I saw him climb over the hill back on there, I’m like, ‘Just take the two-stroke penalty, man.’

Belichick added: “Man, I’m telling ya, I was never more worried about Tom, physically, than when I saw him standing on that ledge, hitting the ball up to the sixth green at Pebble — with, like, a, 25 mile-an-hour wind, too, just to make it interesting.”

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Brady acknowledged he probably should’ve thought twice before going after the ball.

“I’ve done a lot of dumb things in my life,” Brady said. “That was probably right at the top of the list. I mean, I’ve done a lot of stupid (expletive). I’m glad I didn’t pay the price for that one.”

Belichick’s appearance on the podcast wound up providing some fascinating moments. He offered incredible insight into Brady’s unique greatness and also revealed why he felt it was necessary to rip the star quarterback during Patriots team meetings.

Both NFL legends also offered strong takes on the ongoing and ultimately pointless Brady vs. Belichick debate.

About the Author

Dakota Randall

Plymouth State/Boston University product from Wolfeboro, NH, who now is based in Rhode Island. Have worked at NESN since 2016, covering the Patriots since 2021. Might chat your ear off about Disney World, Halo 2, and Lord of the Rings.