Tom Brady learned an unexpected piece of his past while calling Sunday’s game at Gillette Stadium, as a Green Bay Packers player revealed a family link that left the seven-time Super Bowl champion momentarily speechless.
Packers safety Evan Williams told Brady before kickoff that his mother, Dani Williams, had babysat the future quarterback when Brady was 5 years old in Northern California. The detail emerged during Fox’s broadcast of Green Bay’s 45-27 win over the New England Patriots.
Williams, 25, intercepted Patriots quarterback Drake Maye once and recorded five tackles. The pick was his third interception of the 2026 season. Cameras later showed Dani Williams in the stands watching her son help the Packers’ defense generate turnovers.
Green Bay improved to 6-3 with the victory, while New England fell to 5-4. The Packers forced four turnovers, including three interceptions of Maye, who completed 21 of 38 passes for 299 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Xavier McKinney accounted for two of those picks.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love completed 23 of 29 passes for 372 yards and three touchdowns with a 153.2 passer rating. He also scored on a 13-yard scramble. Christian Watson caught seven passes for 171 yards and a score, while Matthew Golden had 10 receptions for 164 yards and a touchdown.
Both families share San Francisco Bay Area roots. Brady grew up in San Mateo and attended Junípero Serra High School. Williams played at nearby St. Francis High School in Mountain View. Williams’ grandfather and Brady’s father also reportedly knew each other through football.
Brady, 49, shared the story on air.
“I don’t get shocked very often, but I was shocked,” he said. “Evan Williams grew up in the Bay Area and his mom said that when I was 5 years old, she was babysitting me. I said ‘I hope I was good when she was babysitting me. Maybe should throw in a tip for being a bad boy.’”
Williams later explained how the anecdote first surfaced at home.
“I remember her telling me when I was growing up … I was probably starting high school or something, and she just tosses it out, ‘oh yeah, I babysat Tom Brady, by the way,’ and then continues another conversation. I’m like, ‘woah, woah, woah, we gotta go back.’ So I was never really too sure, but apparently it’s true,” he said.
The connection came to light during Brady’s first game as a broadcaster at Gillette Stadium. He had attended Rob Gronkowski’s Patriots Hall of Fame induction the day before.
After the game, Brady named Williams his LFG Player of the Game. He joked about tracking down more details on his childhood behavior and suggested the two autograph the game ball for Dani Williams.
Williams has been a steady contributor in Green Bay’s secondary this season, ranking among the league leaders in solo tackles while adding one sack alongside his three interceptions through nine games.
The Packers’ offense finished with 478 total yards. Love’s performance marked one of his strongest of the year and helped Green Bay build leads of as many as 28 points.
The moment underscored how tightly connected the NFL can feel across generations, linking a babysitting job in the early 1980s Bay Area to a November afternoon in Foxborough.
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