Dak Prescott grew up disliking Tom Brady for a clear reason

Like many football fans of his era, Dak Prescott grew up disliking Tom Brady. However, Prescott had a clear reason for not being a fan of the seven-time Super Bowl Champion at the time.

“I actually wasn’t,” Prescott answered, when asked if he was a Brady fan growing up. “I was a Peyton Manning fan, and because of that, you dislike Tom Brady. 

“But it wasn’t until I got to college and realized what Tom was doing, the discipline, the focus, everything that it takes for him to be the champion that he is, then I became a huge fan of him. Then obviously over the past few years of him switching teams and his personality coming out and seeing how much of a giant teammate he is, it allows me to idolize somebody and to idolize one of the best to ever do it. 

“So it’s great to start the season off and have a chance to go beat him and his team.”

Of course, Brady and Manning had one of the most legendary rivalries in the history of the NFL. Evidently, Prescott was squarely in the corner of Manning throughout it.

By the time Prescott was on campus at Mississippi State, Brady already possessed three Super Bowl rings. Additionally, he had two NFL MVP awards in his trophy case, and was facing off against Manning basically every season.

While his view on Brady has changed from dislike to admiration, Prescott will be attempting to put a dent in the veteran quarterback’s attempt to win another Super Bowl.

Tom Brady on Dak Prescott

While Prescott recalled his time disliking Brady, the defending Super Bowl MVP spoke about his own return from a season-ending injury.

“Mine was in 2008, I was injured and I missed a whole year,” Brady said via The Bucs Wire, recollecting his injury. “Dak played a little more than I did. Last year, he played I don’t know four or five games and had a great four or five games. He’s a really talented player. Really since the day he came into the league,  he’s shown to be a great leader for the team.”

Moreover, Brady mentioned that the Buccaneers are expecting Prescott to return to his superb level of play from day one.

“We’re just expecting him to play like Dak Prescott does. Very talented, loose in the pocket, throws a good ball, they have a lot talented skills players,” Brady said. “For us offensively, we’re going to have to do a good job putting our defense in a good position. 

“They do a good job – good running backs, good receivers, great offensive line, Dak’s a great player. They have one of the best offenses and a very talented defense, they’re very deep at linebacker, they have a good push up front and I think they have a very talented secondary. It’s a big challenge for our team.”

Prescott may not have been a fan of Brady growing up, but it’s evident there’s a mutual respect between the quarterbacks now.