Tom Brady, Joe Mixon share special exchange after Sunday’s game
Upon learning that Cincinnati Bengals halfback Joe Mixon wanted to ask for his jersey, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady now plans to send him one.
Tom Brady knows what it’s like to idolize football players as a kid.
When he was a boy growing up a San Francisco 49ers fan in Northern California, his heroes were Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Jerry Rice. As he grew older and started playing football at the high school and then the collegiate levels himself, he continued to follow the NFL closely, hoping that one day all his hard work and dedication would bring him to the pros where he’d have the chance to carve out a career for himself and inspire a new generation of football players.
That day has long since come for the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer. Brady and the New England Patriots have enjoyed a record streak of dominance in football over the past 20 years, capturing six Super Bowl titles and numerous other awards, accolades, and records. And while Brady (and the Pats) have indicated they’re still very hungry for more, the legendary quarterback knows that he’s approaching the twilight of his career.
So it should come as no surprise that when Brady learned Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon had gushed over meeting him after their game on Sunday, he seized the opportunity to do something nice for Mixon.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported on Monday that Brady plans to send a signed No. 12 Patriots jersey to Mixon. While it’s certainly not uncommon for NFL players to exchange jerseys after a game as a sign of mutual respect, apparently Mixon was a bit too awestruck upon meeting one of his childhood idols after the game to actually ask for the jersey.
https://twitter.com/Joe_MainMixon/status/1206425529722843137
Word of Mixon’s tweet must have reached Brady directly, because the Patriots QB quickly responded to Mixon via Twitter himself.
https://twitter.com/Joe_MainMixon/status/1206604835782569986
Mixon, like Brady, grew up in the San Francisco area… hence the “BayLegend” hashtag at the end of his tweet. Mixon also gave Brady some love by adding the customary goat emoji to represent Brady being the G.O.A.T.
The 23-year-old Bengals player – who is nearly two decades younger than Brady himself – apparently now plans to send a Mixon jersey to Brady as well. Clearly, these two players are displaying a great deal of mutual admiration and respect for one another’s games.
https://twitter.com/Joe_MainMixon/status/1206605810601775106
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This isn’t the first time Brady and a player from an opposing team have had a highly-publicized interaction after a competitive game this season. Back in Week 8, the other NFL team from Ohio (the Cleveland Browns) visited the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Afterward, Browns superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. gifted Brady a pair of goat-hair cleats, and the two reportedly spent a long time chatting outside the visitor’s locker room well after the game had ended.