With the 2025 running of the Indy 500 being the first to ever air on Fox Sports, the network brought out many of its luminaries from across sports to make an appearance. And one of them was their $375 million man Tom Brady.
Brady not only appeared on the Fox telecast, but he also had a job to do as he drove the pace car for the race. But when he was introduced to the crowd beforehand, he was in for a rude awakening. The GOAT was not met with cheers and adulation from the hundreds of thousands in attendance at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Rather, he was met with a chorus of boos from throughout the grandstands.
When Tom Brady appeared onstage today during a pre-race Indy 500 ceremony, he was met with boos.pic.twitter.com/4F3B8Teet9
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 25, 2025
That reception for Tom Brady is probably not because there are hundreds of thousands of dedicated NFL broadcast critics in the audience who were less than impressed with his debut season in the booth as Fox’s lead NFL analyst. It’s likely because Brady was a particular thorn in the side of the Indianapolis Colts for years.
While Brady was winning six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, his chief rival in the AFC for many of those years were the Colts led by Peyton Manning. And more often than not, it was Brady and the Pats who got the edge. The Patriots went 4-1 in the postseason against the Colts during those years including two AFC Championship victories to one.
So when you think about it, that reception was probably due for Tom Brady in Indianapolis. Maybe next Fox can send Urban Meyer to the middle of the Big House or David Ortiz to home plate at Yankee Stadium to see how their receptions might compare.