Tom Brady’s former teammate reveals why legendary quarterback demanded an EMPTY locker alongside his main one during his NFL career

Tom Brady’s locker at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice facility was unique in that it wasn’t just one stall.

Instead, the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback had a pair of lockers, side by side, and as one former teammate explained, that wasn’t simply a sign of respect.

Speaking with NBC Sports, retired tight end Kyle Rudolph said Brady annexed the bordering locker to house all the collectibles he intended to autograph for others.

‘I would look over there and every day, guys would put helmets, jerseys, pictures, footballs, all the stuff they wanted Tom to sign for them,’ Rudolph said.

But Rudolph didn’t make this it seem as though Brady was putting anyone out by taking the extra stall.

Tom Brady had two lockers at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers facility, Kyle Brady (No. 8) says

Instead, he marveled at Brady’s commitment to signing every last piece of memorabilia.

‘At the end of the day, almost every day, he’d sit there and sign everything,’ Rudolph said.

Having two lockers is obviously extremely rare for NFL players. Teams carry 53 active players on their roster as well as 16 more on their practice squads, making real estate at facilities somewhat precious.

But by giving Brady an extra locker, another player on the team can avoid having his own stall become the landing spot for every helmet, jersey and football card that someone wants the future Hall of Famer to sign.

And Brady’s willingness to autograph anything teammates and coworkers left by his locker likely helped his reputation around the facility.

Tom Brady signs autographs after New England Patriots training camp at Gillette Stadium

Brady has been accused of sloppy penmanship on his autographs, which one collector claimed ruined several pieces of memorabilia.

Glenn Gagnon of Glenn’s Stadium Heroes told WBZ-TV even though he witnessed Brady signing the items, Beckett’s Authentication Services refused to recognize the signature as belonging to the legendary quarterback.

‘We brought them in to see if [Beckett] would accept that as a Brady autograph,’ Gagnon said in April. ‘We got rejection letters. It’s not Brady’s signature even though he signed him.’

Of course, Brady’s situation in Tampa was nothing compared to what San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds enjoyed in that team’s clubhouse. As reported several times over the years, Bonds had four lockers as well as his own television and a leather recliner.