Tom Brady took a lot of hits over the years from a ton of different players. But there were a few players in particular he feared being hit by the most.
During an appearance on Logan Paul’s “IMPAULSIVE” podcast, the New England Patriots legend was asked if there were any players he was afraid to be hit by.
“A lot of guys,” Brady said, drawing a laugh.
“Ray Lewis was at the top,” he added. “Ndamukong Suh, I didn’t like getting hit by him. J.J. wasn’t very fun to get hit by. Haloti Ngata, you remember him? He was about 340 pounds for the Ravens. He was massive.”
That’s a star-studded list. Lewis is a Hall of Famer, having played all 17 of his NFL seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.
As Brady mentioned, Ngata was another star for Baltimore. The defensive lineman spent nine of his 13 seasons with the Ravens, making five Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams during that stretch.
Suh was a five-time Pro Bowler who started his career with the Lions, but later teamed with Brady on the Buccaneers. In the middle, he spent three seasons with the Miami Dolphins, which is where he and Brady had a lot of face time.
Finally, Watt was one of the most dominant players of his generation. A five-time All-Pro and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Watt dealt with a lot of injuries. But when he was healthy, he was a menace.
Brady broached the topic of big hits when he mentioned how key it was for athletes in contact sports to take care of their bodies. Brady mentioned that there are consequences when being chased around by guys like former Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald, who Brady didn’t bring back up in his list.
“When you’re getting hit, there’s a discipline with your physical body that you need to take into account. Because if you (expletive) around, you’re gonna get hurt. ... You don’t mess around with your training, because you will pay the price when you got Aaron Donald chasing you.
Brady knows a lot about taking hits in the NFL. The 24-year vet was famous for being able to move around the pocket and get the ball out quickly. Still, he holds the NFL record for sacks taken in a career with 565.