How Tom Brady Was Forced To Change Routine Prior To 2021 Patriots Game

Athletes are creatures of habit.

From pregame meals and naps to wearing the same socks or gloves, athletes often don't like their routines messed with whether it's because of superstitions or it's simply in their mindset and focus.

Tom Brady was no exception.

In 2021, the former Patriots quarterback returned to the stadium he called home for 20 years for the first time since he departed New England following the 2019 season. The reason he left? Quite frankly, still remains a mystery.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft and then-head coach Bill Belichick arranged to meet with Brady upon his arrival at Gillette Stadium.

The arranged meeting forced Brady to change his pregame routine, according to ESPN's Seth Wickersham & Wright Thompson.

"The field seemed like the best place because one of Brady's rituals was to walk it before games," Wickersham and Thompson wrote. "But when Brady saw a thicket of cameras around, more than for any Patriots game in memory, including cameras for an all-access documentary coming out in February -- which in the words of a Kraft confidant 'is an infomercial' and 'pitch for Robert to get into the Hall of Fame' -- he stopped.

"He didn't want to be used in that way. Instead, they met in the hallways inside the stadium," the report continued. "A camera crew found them, and Brady asked for some space. He didn't want those conversations to be weaponized in any way."

Brady and the Buccaneers defeated his former coach and team on that rainy night. After the game, Brady and Belichick met outside the visitor's locker room for about 20 minutes.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion didn't return to Gillette again until the Patriots honored Brady with a halftime ceremony in September. Any ill will toward Belichick seems to be a thing of the past based on the message Brady posted to his Instagram account the day the legendary coach parted ways with New England on Thursday.