New England Patriots - NESN.com
Julian Edelman and Tom Brady’s friendship is truly unmatched.
The connection they had on the field was special, but they also formed such an incredible bond off the field that has survived after the two ended their respective NFL careers. The friendship has always included lots of laughter, with Edelman taking any opportunity to poke fun at Brady.
During the latest episode of his “Dudes on Dudes” podcast with Rob Gronkowski, the two welcomed Matthew Slater as a guest. And Edelman shared a humorous story with the two about how his brand came to be.
“You know JE11 came about, making fun of Tom (Brady),” Edelman revealed. “I started by making a, remember how Tom would wear his TB12 hat? I one day just made a JE11 hat to make fun of him, and then started selling them.”
Brady launched TB12 in 2013 with Alex Guerrero, opening a store at Patriot Place that same year. But, for Edelman, his story came to be simply because he wanted to make fun of the quarterback.
This story just makes perfect sense for Edelman.
And the two will forever live in Patriots history together, with Brady having been inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame last year, while Edelman will be inducted alongside Bill Parcells in September. And in August, Brady’s statue will be unveiled at Gillette Stadium before the preseason game against the Washington Commanders.
Two of the most important pieces of the Patriots dynasty will forever be teammates on and off the field.
