Tom Brady’s Cousin Opens Up About QB Childhood

Tom Brady gets all the attention he deserves, and he’s definitely the star of New England. His friends know pretty much everything about his life, and so does his cousin.

The central Minnesota town will always have a special spot in his heart. It’s the hometown of his maternal grandparents. Tom’s mom, Galynn Johnson was the homecoming queen in 1962. The Brady clan goes there every summer, and it’s just two hours away from Minneapolis. That’s exactly where the Pats will play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII.

“I’ve known Tommy since he was this big. My dad was a dairy farmer. All the sisters and Tommy would be here. We’d play ball, they’d help Grandpa milk the cows, and Tommy loved to fish. Once, we took him up to the lake and it started to pour. We had enough sunfish to come back and have a fish fry, but he didn’t want to stop. He didn’t want to leave,” said Brady’s uncle Allen Johnson. There is a great number of Johnsons in the town.

“It will be fun because my uncles still live there, my cousins. It’s a great place. It’s really special to go back there. The last time we played Minnesota, I had a lot of people come, a lot of family and extended family. There will be a lot of great support there in Minnesota too,” Brady said when asked about his return to Minnesota.

Brady has a special relationship with his cousin Paul “Pickle” Johnson. He remembers how the Bradys came to visit them each August and Christmas.

“He was persistent, full of energy, and very athletic. He can golf, play baseball. His sisters are closer to my age, and Tommy would tag along. The whole family’s athletic,” said Johnson.

“They’ve been so good, they go out of their way to accommodate us. They don’t treat us any different, we don’t treat them any different. They’re just the same humble and kind people, and I like to think we’re that way too,” he said when asked about Tom and Gisele.

So nice!