Daniel Jones’ next run-in with Tom Brady’s football excellence won’t be his first.
The New York Giants rookie quarterback revealed to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan on Wednesday the New England Patriots signal-caller actually broke his heart when he was a child. Jones, a Charlotte, N.C., native was a die-hard Carolina Panthers fan when they the Patriots on Feb. 1, 2004, in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
The Patriots won 32-29 on the field goal kicker Adam Vinatieri hit with 4 seconds left, Brady claimed Super Bowl MVP honors, and Jones went into his first bout of football mourning.
“I remember where I watched it,” Jones, now 22, told ESPN. “Went to a friend’s house. The Dickens’ house. A family friend. Obviously, it was heartbreaking when Vinatieri made that field goal.”
Jones insisted, however, he never held a grudge against Brady over the Panthers’ Super Bowl loss.
“Not really,” Jones said when asked if he hated Brady for that game. “Don’t think I knew that much at that age. Knew I liked the Panthers.”
Jones will have the chance to gain a measure of personal revenge Thursday at Gillette Stadium, where his Giants will take on Brady’s Patriots in the Week 6 “Thursday Night Football” game. The 5-0 Patriots are heavily favored to defeat the 2-3 Giants.
