Tom Brady Smiling
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About
Tom Brady Smiling refers to a photo and GIF of NFL quarterback Tom Brady looking over his shoulder and smiling while seated in an official-looking room in an unknown building. The picture and clips of the moment have been used online as a reaction image and GIF since 2022, typically describing joy and also moments of recognition between friends in a public place.
Origin
The image and footage originate from a March 31st, 2022, press conference held by the Tampa Bay Buccanneers, Tom Brady's football team at the time.[1] The press conference was for the announcement of head coach Bruce Arians' retirement, which some speculated Brady had something to do with. The retirement of Arians came after Brady's return to the team for the 2022-2023 season, 40 days after Brady had initially announced he would retire.
The then recently unretired Brady was seated in the front row of the press conference where the team's photographer shot footage of him smiling. Sports broadcaster and X / Twitter user @Sara_Walsh posted footage of Brady at the press event on March 31st, 2022, earning over 3,300 likes in the course of two years.[5]
For those wondering what role Tom Brady played in any of this…. Brady is here sitting front row as Arians and Bowles are about to address the media. #gobucs #nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/LKYm1QF9SQ
— Sara Walsh (@Sara_Walsh) March 31, 2022
Spread
Following the image's original posting in the spring of 2022, it was often used as a reaction image in online communities talking about football. An early and prominent post discussing Arians' retirement (mimicking the original context of the image) was made by sports radio commentator Damon Amendolara, who called it "the most diabolical moment in NFL history" in an April 12th, 2022, X post (seen below) that received over 6,300 likes in just under two years.[2]
The reaction video and GIF saw additional viral spread on TikTok and Twitter responding to situations that were not related to the NFL. For example, on March 28th, 2023, TikToker @brandyepp77 posted a version (seen below, left), which earned over 3,600 likes and almost 63,000 views in a year.[3]
Many also assumed that the image and video came from a courtroom, including TikToker @zachaholic_, whose post on October 8th, 2023, on TikTok (seen below, right) featuring Brady earned over 1,100 likes and nearly 15,000 views in the three months.[4]
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7215779509935607083
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7287800306535025963
Various Examples
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7215896198413110570
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7204655997175057706
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7215279393181142318
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7234231621262708014
Template
External References
[1] Tampa Bay Buccanneers – Succession Plan Was Long-Time Dream for Bruce Arians
[2] X – @DamonAmendo
[3] TikTok – @brandyepp77
[4] TikTok – @zachaholic_
[5] X – @Sara_Walsh
