'A sweet person.' Brady
Photo: AP
NFL superstar Tom Brady visits Israel
All-pro New England Patriots quarterback arrives in country with boss Robert Kraft for private eight-day visit; says ‘I would like to understand all the things that make Israel so great’
NFL Superstar Tom Brady arrived in Israel for a private visit last week.
The all-pro quarterback, who led the New England Patriots to three championships since 2002, was named Sports Illustrated Man of the Year in 2005, an honor bestowed on past greats such as Michael Jordan, Joe Montana and Muhammad Ali.
Brady was invited by his boss, Jewish-American owner of the Patriots Robert Kraft, to join him for an eight-day trip to Israel, and the two arrived with 40 Jews from the Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) leadership mission from the Boston area.
Brady (right) with Robert Kraft (center) in Jerusalem (Photo: David Tuttle)
He said he could not pass up on the opportunity to visit Israel, as there is so much to learn about the country.
I would like to understand all the things that make Israel so great, Brady said.
During his first day in Israel the former Super bowl MVP visited the Western Wall and Bethlehem.
It’s great to see how football took root here, Brady said while touring Jerusalem.
Football is such a wonderful sport, but unfortunately people around the world don’t realize this, he added.
Last Thursday Brady and staunch Israel supporter Kraft also paid a visit to the newly-built Kraft Stadium in Jerusalem’s Saker Park, where they watched a women’s “flag football” exhibition game and even tossed a few balls around with the players.
“The girls asked for autographs and Tom stayed for half-an-hour to talk to them and sign footballs,” American Football in Israel (AFI) President Steve Leibowitz said.
“He’s a really sweet person.”
Brady, who expressed his satisfaction with the involvement of women in the sport, even asked one of the young players for an autograph.
He left the country Sunday evening.
