C.J. Stroud and Tom Brady haven’t let the rivalry between their two schools (Ohio State and Michigan) get in the way of forming a relationship. And from the sound out of it, the Houston Texans rookie quarterback has been able to lean on the future Hall of Famer for advice.
In an article penned for ESPN, DJ Bien-Aiem wrote how Stroud has won over the locker room in Houston. The team has accepted the 22-year-old Ohio State product as its leader. But as Bien-Aiem writes, “Part of becoming a leader is learning from the best.”
Stroud had lunch with Brady and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin. And the conversation he had with those two, who are both atop their respective industries or once were, obviously stuck with Stroud and how he leads his teammates.
“On TV, you look at [star quarterbacks] and think, ‘Man, they’re just so busy. They can’t hang out with their teammates. They’re probably just locked in on what they got going,'” Stroud told ESPN. “And [Brady] was like, ‘I just never want to let my teammates down.’ He said those words exactly. I was like, ‘Man, that’s how I am.’
In six games, Stroud has completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 1,660 yards with nine touchdowns and an interception. While Brady’s advice has seemingly paid dividends, Stroud has put in a lot of the work himself. Still, it sure doesn’t hurt to have a future Hall of Famer in your corner.
[ESPN]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.