Ted Karras will have several difficult tests this season while serving as the starting center of the New England Patriots, but the biggest may come on Sunday in Miami. The Dolphins and their tanking team may not have a defensive front that demands respect, but the weather is going to be brutally hot, and Tom Brady does not like his centers to sweat on him.
Karras, who became New England’s starter after David Andrews was ruled out for the year with blood clots in his lungs, has been with the Patriots since 2016. That’s long enough for him to be used to having a towel shoved down the back of his pants, which is apparently something Brady makes his centers do to prevent them from soaking his hands with sweat. The six-time Super Bowl champion thought of it when Dan Koppen served as his center earlier in his career.
“There was a ritual where he would put the towel in. It’s up to him,” Koppen told Nick Underhill of The Athletic. “So, he put the towel in the centers before the game and made sure (it was in place). You know, I mean, I’m sure putting your hands back there, I don’t think you want to go into a sweaty vat.”
Aside from the obviously unappealing aspects of having a 300-pound man’s backside sweat on your hands, Brady wants to keep his hands dry to avoid errant passes and get a proper grip on the football. In Miami, where it can be close to 100 degrees and humid, the Dolphins usually only provide bath-sized towels instead of hand towels. Former Patriots center Dan Connolly recalled having one of those shoved down his pants one year.
“He literally stood behind me, took his hand, and stuck the towel down my pants,” Connolly said. “I walked around that game, feeling like I was carrying a loaded diaper the entire time. It was the most uncomfortable thing, but he was so crazy about not getting his hands wet that he would stuff s— down our pants.”
Brady confirmed that the story was accurate.
We all know Brady demands perfection, and he has some bizarre methods that appear to have worked wonders for his career. If anyone is going to take matters into his own hands to make sure his center keeps a dry undercarriage, it’s TB12.
