February 6

 

Tom Brady

At age 43, Tom will play his 10th Super Bowl tomorrow. He is considered by many to be the greatest quarterback of all time, with a net worth in the $200 million range. But his life apart from football really sets him apart. I can think of no other footballer who would be comfortable sitting at the table with heads of state. He knows how to use a finger bowl and which fork to use with each course. He attended the 2004 State of the Union speech at the Capitol (he didn't have to break in; he was the guest of the first lady). He regularly attends such high-profile society events as the Met Museum Art Gala on the arm of his Brazilian supermodel wife, Gisele (she speaks 5 languages, and her English is lightly accented). BTW she out earns him and is said to be worth $400 million, and in many circles she is far more famous than her husband.

Brady voted for Trump in 2016, but subsequently distanced himself from the former president, much to Trump's consternation. Tom declined Trump's invitation to attend a 2017 White House ceremony honoring the Super Bowl champions.

He doesn't blow money on private jets or multi-million-dollar cars. When he was recently involved in a fender-bender, he was driving his own Audi sedan. Instead he and his wife invest in real estate. Last month Tom and Gisele sold their Manhattan apartment for $37 million, a tidy $12 million profit over the 2018 purchase price.

And he's a committed family man. A couple of weeks ago, after the Buccaneers clinched their berth in the Super Bowl, he moved to the sidelines and asked security if he could say hi to his 13-year-old son. "Love you, kiddo." Enough said.