Twenty-Two Years Later, Tom Brady Still Bitter Against 49ers

As a Michigan man, Tom Brady is no doubt well educated. But one phrase lacking in his vocabulary is "forgive and forget." In the 22 years since his hometown team, San Francisco, opted to pass on drafting him, Brady's been unable to let go of the grudge.

“I lost my allegiance for the Niners when they skipped over me six times 22 years ago and drafted Giovanni Carmazzi," Brady said on the Let's Go podcast.

Carmazzi was selected in the third round, 65th overall, of the 2000 NFL Draft. He spent just two seasons in the NFL, having never attempted a pass. His most successful post-college stint was in NFL Europe, where he had four touchdowns and four interceptions during the course of three largely blah seasons.

Brady's had a slightly better career. He's won seven Super Bowls, three MVPs and a host of passing records since he was drafted in the sixth round, 199th overall that same year.

As Brady tells it, a handful of those Lombardi trophies and a passing record or two could've happened while Brady was outfitted in red and gold, if not for Steve Mariucci.

"They had me do a local workout with (then 49ers coach) Steve Mariucci, and decided I wasn’t good enough to play there,” Brady pointed out on Let's Go.

In Mariucci's defense, San Francisco was hardly the only team that failed to show an interest in Brady back in April of 2000.

“Everybody passed over him six times, right?" a laughing Mariucci recalled while bantering about the situation on KNBR's Murph and Mac. “That’s awesome. I love Tom.”

While Mariucci hasn't coached San Francisco since 2002 and has been out of coaching altogether since '05, there's a very real possibility he'll have a chance to see Brady do his thing against the 49ers in little more than a week.

Should the 44-year-old Brady lead the Buccaneers to a win on Sunday vs the Rams and San Francisco top Green Bay on Saturday, the 49ers and Bucs will meet up for all the marbles -- a Super Bowl berth.

Now, that's a phrase Brady knows well.

 

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