Tom Brady, who took to social media Feb. 1 to announce his retirement, leaves the game as perhaps the greatest quarterback of all time, but former Ravens and Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas will remember Brady as an outstanding teammate as well.
After playing in Baltimore from 2000-2006, Thomas ended his career with three years in New England.
“Tom was a great teammate,” Thomas said on Glenn Clark Radio Jan. 31. “Worked hard — first in, last out guy.”
Both Thomas and Brady were actually selected in the same draft and round. Thomas played his college ball at the University of Southern Mississippi and ended up being drafted by the Ravens in the sixth round (No. 186 overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft. Brady was drafted just a few selections later at No. 199 overall.
Thomas played in 96 games in the purple and black, totaling 38.5 sacks, 377 tackles, 13 forced fumbles, six interceptions and three touchdowns. During his time in Baltimore, Thomas was a two-time Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro in 2006. Thomas was on the team when the Ravens won the Super Bowl in January 2001, but he did not play in the big game.
After his time with Ravens, Thomas signed on with New England in 2007. In his first season, the Patriots went on to enjoy a dominant season, finishing 16-0 in the regular season. Thomas had 6.5 sacks and 79 tackles that season. The Patriots wound up losing the Super Bowl to the New York Giants, but Thomas recorded two sacks in the game.
In his three seasons with the Patriots, Thomas was able to see Brady’s work ethic and his influence on the team. With Brady’s hard work, determination and leadership, Thomas saw what made Brady such an elite player and competitor. Thomas was one of the more than 200 teammates who went to a Super Bowl with Brady.
“It’s hard to not like him if you’ve played with him.” Thomas said. “He competed but was a great leader.”
Thomas was shocked by Brady’s retirement, which was originally reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington Jan. 29. Brady was still performing like one of the top quarterbacks in the league, so observers thought he might have at least one more year in him.
Brady has confirmed it himself. Just as Thomas had inferred, Brady took to social media to call it a career and despite it being such a quick decision after just losing in the playoffs, it is an official decision. Brady retires with seven Super Bowls — which is more than any NFL franchise — as well as five Super Bowl MVP awards and three league MVP awards. He is also the leader in all-time passing yards (84,520) and passing touchdowns (624).
“As much as Tom is on social media, for someone else to say that he’s retiring before he says he’s retiring [was] kind of odd to me.” Thomas said. “I was like, ‘That’s a fast decision.'”
For more from Thomas, listen to the full interview here:
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