Tom Brady and his children spent last season volunteering at Tampa Bay animal shelter
Tom Brady made the most of his final season in Tampa Bay — both on and off the field.
According to a Tampa Bay Times report, Brady quietly and routinely volunteered with the Humane Society of Tampa Bay with his children — 13-year-old Ben and 10-year-old Vivian, and occasionally 15-year-old Jack. during the 2022 NFL season. And he asked not to make his involvement with the shelter public.
“He was picking up (his kids) from school and you saw his pickup, it pulled into our parking lot and there it was,” Sherry Silk, who runs the shelter, told the Times. “He always wore a baseball cap. Sometimes people recognized him and asked for his autograph; not too many and I didn’t allow the staff to do that. And he just walked in and did his thing.”
Silk told the Times that Brady’s appearances at the shelter with his children would vary, but that they almost always spent an hour and a half to two hours helping the animals. Vivian was attracted to the kittens, while Ben walked the dogs with a trainer behind the shelter. Brady would step in wherever he could.
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“They literally worked,” Silk said. “They didn’t mind getting dirty and just kept it down to earth.”
The Times reported that Brady was first involved through Logan Ryan, a longtime animal activist, for the shelter, which reportedly takes in more than 13,000 animals annually. Brady saw Ryan and Silk discuss pet adoption at the Buccaneers’ training facility in the summer leading up to the 2022 season.
“(Ryan) was talking about his rescue pit bull, and I guess (Brady) reached out to (Ryan’s wife, Ashley) and said, ‘I want my kids to be a part of that too. It looks really cool’”, called Silk. “Then Ashley reached out to us and the rest is history. He started cumming.
“And they were really just here to spend time with the animals because both families just love animals. So they really, really wanted to help. It wasn’t for appearances, and I think partly that’s why they liked coming here. …”
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Following Brady’s second retirement announcement on Feb. 1, Ashley Ryan shared a story about the quarterback’s dedication to the shelter and how much it meant to be able to spend time with his kids to support a good cause:
Brady’s involvement with the shelter has resulted in at least two other adoptions: a pair of Siamese kittens that the Brady family reportedly brought home to Miami on Monday. The former Buccaneers quarterback tagged Ryan and the Humane Society of Tampa Bay in an Instagram story titled “Vivi wins again.”
Just another reason why Brady (appropriately named) is the GOAT.