Tom Brady Volunteered At Animal Shelter During Final Season

The greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL, most widely known for dominating opposing defenses for more than two decades, is also a puppy enthusiast.

Following his retirement announcement Wednesday, Tom Brady became the primary conversation in the NFL community, with many people sharing personal stories involving the seven-time Super Bowl winner.

One of the stories painted him in a vastly different light, as Ashley Bragg Ryan, wife of Bucs safety Logan Ryan, shared a photo on Instagram of Brady volunteering at an animal shelter. She also said that he had quietly been going to the shelter all season with his children.

“I guess I’ll chime in with my Tom Brady story.. but it’s not the one about 7 Super Bowls or being down 28–3 or his last pass as a Patriot. We all know those,” she said in the caption. “It’s the one about the dad who volunteered at the animal shelter with his kids throughout an entire football season. The one where he bonded with his kids over naming puppies and bottle-feeding kittens. The one where he silently showed up every other week to make a difference for his family and his community. The one where 2 dads just got to be dads and beamed with pride every time their kids said ‘Please can we just stay a little bit longer?!’ The one where two little girls built a friendship around their love of tiny baby kittens and did their part in making the world a better place for animals.”

Though little was known about Brady’s volunteering during the season, Brady has repeatedly expressed a love for dogs over the course of his career. He and his family have owned several over the years, including a pit bull mix named Lua.

Though Brady’s final season in Tampa Bay did not meet the expectations he likely set for himself when he came out of retirement, his impact on the Buccaneers and the Tampa community may have been felt in other ways.