Brady, a sophomore at the time in Ann Arbor, said the mentor provided a necessary reminded that nothing great comes easy. Brady redshirted in 1995 before playing two years behind Brian Griese with the Wolverines, including the 1997 season during which Michigan's starter led the program to the national championship.

The reality that elite sportsmen are rarely elite thinkers has been underlined by Tom Brady’s diagnosis to fix American soccer. “I think the reality for most athletes in America is these other sports just become very dominant because of culturally what’s on television all the time,” Brady told the Men In Blazers podcast.