Matt Damon is a Tom Brady guy, perhaps, surprisingly, rivaling his loyalty to the New England Patriots.
Damon appeared on fellow Massachusetts native Bill Simmons' podcast last week and discussed the quarterback, revealing that he "watched every Bucs game last year" after Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2020 following 20 seasons in New England.
“It’s not even a bandwagon. I love Tom,” Damon said on The Bill Simmons Podcast. “I love him. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime athlete for all of us who were lucky enough to be able to follow his entire career. I’m riding it all the way to the end. It’s not a bandwagon. I’m all in on that guy. I don’t, you know, the Patriots … I don’t … I’m following Tommy. Like I just, I want to see — I’m just so … the fact that he did that last year on a torn MCL? I mean just stop it, you know what I mean? It’s just awesome. It’s such a great story.”
Damon went a step further to confirm that he believed Brady deserved the bulk of credit over head coach Bill Belichick for the Patriots' six championships, even before the quarterback won his seventh without the legendary coach as a member of the Bucs in February.
“I was always a believer — you know, everybody does the ‘Was it Belichick or was it Brady?’ Belichick’s an amazing coach, but I never doubted that it wasn’t Brady,” Damon said. “Yeah, because he’s on the field playing the game.”
Brady and Belichick are arguably the greatest quarterback-coaching duo in NFL history, having won a record six Super Bowls together before Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last offseason.
The duo's relationship, however, has been a topic of discussion leading up to and even after their split.
“I have a great relationship with him,” Brady said about Belichick during Super Bowl LV Media Day in February via CBS Boston. “Again, I’m just incredibly grateful for what he’s meant in my life as a coach. He was everything you could ask for as a player. I loved my time, I had two incredible decades there. My football journey took me to a different place.”
“I certainly could never have accomplished the things in my career without his support and his teachings,” Brady added. “He’s an incredible coach and mentor for me. I’ve had a lot of those in my career, but obviously he’s at the top of the list.”
In January, Belichick's girlfriend, Linda Holiday, responded to criticism from a fan who blamed Belichick for Brady leaving New England but expressed gratitude for Brady's legendary career with the Patriots.
“I’m happy for Tom’s career! How could you not be?” Holliday wrote in the response amid the Bucs' Super Bowl berth.
In February, Brady recorded 201 yards and three touchdowns on 21 of 29 passing in Super Bowl LV, winning a record fifth Super Bowl MVP Award, which surpassed his own previous record set in Super Bowl LI (2017).
Brady now owns a 7-3 record all-time in the NFL's biggest game and surpassed his own previous record for most Super Bowl wins by a quarterback (6) set in February 2019. The 43-year-old also broke his own record as the oldest quarterback to both start and win a Super Bowl.
The win was Tampa Bay's second Super Bowl victory in franchise history. The Buccaneers are also the only team in NFL history to both host and win a Super Bowl in their home stadium.
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