The New Anchor of ‘CBS Evening News’ Recalls Hilarious Story Of Interviewing Tom Brady

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is the greatest of all time, and he knows how to make people nervous. I mean, standing next to the GOAT really makes you nervous, right?

Norah O’Donnell knows it best. She has covered some of the greatest events in the country. She was there for Bill Clinton’s impeachment, the September 11 attacks and the 2008 presidential elections. She covered topics about Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Moon Jae-in and Mohammed bin Salman. However, if you ask O’Donnell, she will say that her “hardest interview” was Tom Brady.

Go Patriots !!! ?? pic.twitter.com/jg9yfkqw3z

— Norah O'Donnell?? (@NorahODonnell) February 3, 2019

“I’m a Patriots fan,” she told The Boston Globe’s Shirley Leung.

“Then he asked me to throw a football,” O’Donnell told Leung. “Luckily, I didn’t embarrass myself too badly, but probably the most nervous I have ever been in an interview was having to throw a football alongside the greatest of all time.”

The interview happened in 2017. Brady and O’Donnell talked about his career plans.

When asked if that was his last year, Brady said, “No, no. I do want to go out on my terms. I do want to go out playing my best.”

Brady feels really good about himself and the game, so yes, he isn’t leaving.

“I’m faster now and quicker now than, you know, when I first started playing football.”

“Some people may be able to do some things better than I can,” Brady said. “Hopefully they don’t throw the football better than me, which is what I’m really trying to do!”

Concussions are part of the game, but Brady doesn’t think about that.

“Do you worry about concussions?” O’Donnell asked.

“I don’t worry about ’em, no,” he replied. “I mean, I’m not oblivious to ’em. I mean, I understand the risks that come with the physical nature of our game.”

“But do you think all the studies that have come out about concussions affects the future of the NFL?” O’Donnell added.

“I don’t know what the future is gonna look like, you know, and I’m not gonna pretend to predict it. And I’m going to do everything I can to take care of my body in advance of the hits that I’m going to take on Sunday.”

O’Donnell also mentioned Deflategate, and the criticism Brady’s team has received.

 “People that are not Patriots fans are tough on the Patriots — ‘Oh, they’re cheating, they don’t play fair.’ Do you think that’s ’cause the Patriots are winning a lot?” she asked.

“I think that the players that I meet, they have a lot of mutual respect for our team. And that’s probably what matters the most to me,” Brady replied. “I’ve never been a sore loser. I’ve never made excuses of why we lost a game, or blame the ref, or the wind, or, you know, ‘it snowed,’ or, you know, made something up about some other team.”