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Former UCLA star Maya Brady defends her uncle, Tom Brady

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•07/18/25•

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Maya Brady uncle Tom Brady
© SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK & © Michelle Pemberton-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Maya Brady is spilling the beans on her uncle, Tom Brady. This week, Maya pulled back the curtain on her relationship with her uncle, revealing why the public’s perception of him isn’t necessarily accurate.

“I think you’d know if you like maybe watching his interviews throughout the years — he’s just Tommy, the sensitive, caring uncle. He’s like a father figure to me,” Maya Brady said. “We have such a special relationship. We’re very, very close and I know I can go to him for anything. Everybody sees him as this fierce competitor, but I swear he’s like the biggest teddy bear that you’ll ever meet.”

Maya played softball for UCLA and now plays for the Talons of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League. Like her uncle, Maya is an elite athlete. She was a three-time All-Pac-12 First-Team selection and won the Pac-12 Player of the Year Award twice.

Maya Brady never hesitated to make her mark on the college game. In 2020, she was named the Softball America Freshman of the Year and finished her career with three First-Team All-America selections. In her senior season at UCLA, Maya led UCLA with 71 hits, 68 RBI, 59 runs scored, 31 extra-base hits, 137 total bases, a .418 batting average and .500 on-base percentage.

Maya’s mother, Maureen, is Tom Brady’s sister. While Tom might have lots of love for his niece, he rarely showed such kindness to his opponents on the field.

Brady is widely-regarded as the greatest quarterback of all time. He boasts the most career passing yards, completions, touchdown passes, and games started in NFL history. Additionally, he is the league’s winningest QB ever.

Those wins weren’t limited to the regular season. Brady is a seven-time Super Bowl champion, six with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite all of his success, Tom claims Maya is the “most dominant” athlete in their family.

While Maya wants to make her uncle proud, she knows it’s not necessary. In an interview with ESPN this summer, Maya raved about Tom’s support.

“I have an amazing relationship with my uncle,” she said. “And I think it takes that pressure off because I know at the end of the day, if I don’t meet the standards of what people think I should do, he doesn’t care. To me, that’s all that matters.”