Tom Brady undoubtedly got a lot of congratulatory messages after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win, and some of them were probably quite unexpected.
Among those messages was one from former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who twice defeated Brady in the Super Bowl. Manning said during an interview with Sports Illustrated that he wanted to tell Brady how impressive his accomplishment was, especially in the context of being on a new team during such an unusual season.
“Yeah, I sent Tom a text, just congratulating him and really just saying how not surprised, but impressed with what he was able to do this year with Tampa,” Manning said, via John Breech of CBS Sports. “Changing teams, shortened season, pandemic and everything going on and to still learn a brand new offense and make those adjustments and go win a championship is pretty spectacular.”
Brady and Manning have a mutually respectful relationship. Manning certainly knows better than most the challenges that go into winning a championship and the intense scrutiny that comes with high expectations, so that message probably meant a great deal.
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