A former teammate of Tom Brady says he realized how special the young QB was when a mother started breastfeeding in front of him

Stephan Savoia/AP

• Tom Brady is widely recognized as the greatest quarterback ever.
• Most fans know Brady is exceptional on the field, but those close to him say that success comes from being special away from the game.
• In Michael Holley's book, "Belichick and Brady," former teammate Christian Fauria told a story about how his wife started breastfeeding in front of Brady, and it was that moment when he realized how special the young QB was.
• Check out all of Business Insider's Super Bowl LIII coverage here.

Tom Brady is widely recognized as the greatest quarterback of all time, and he is still dominating the sport in his 40s.

Brady's success and longevity in a sport dominated young and more athletically gifted players can be attributed to his extraordinary competitiveness and maturity when he was younger that went well beyond his age. 

One example of Brady's maturity early on in his career was told in Michael Holley's book, "Belichick and Brady."

In 2002, Tom Brady was 25, and the New England Patriots were fresh off their first Super Bowl win. Christian Fauria was a 31-year-old veteran tight end who had just joined the team. He told a story about how his wife started breastfeeding in front of Brady, and it was that moment when he realized how special the young QB was.

There was a dexterity to [Brady's] intelligence, so he was comfortable in multiple settings. New teammate Christian Fauria, six years older than Brady, noticed his maturity in 2002. Fauria was married at the time with two young children, and Brady was single and twenty-five. They were hanging out together at [quarterback Damon] Huard's house, and Fauria's wife, Rhonda, began breastfeeding their infant son. Instead of being awkward, Brady initiated a conversation about breastfeeding and the benefits of it.

"It made me think, 'He's real,' " Fauria says.  "He felt it was important for him to show her the respect and attention she deserved. He wasn't weirded out; he saw the situation as natural. It wasn't the typical reaction of a twenty-five-year-old man. I know it sounds strange, but that's actually the moment when I realized how special he is."

It is important to remember this was 2002. A lot of 25-year-old men are still weirded out by breastfeeding today, but back then it was even more taboo to most to breastfeed in front of other people.

This was also long before Brady met and married Gisele Bündchen, who is an advocate for breastfeeding and once said there should be a "worldwide law" requiring moms to breastfeed.

Bündchen also made headlines in 2013 when she shared a photo of herself breastfeeding their daughter while being tended to by stylists. 

It appears Brady got a headstart on fatherhood and was on the same page with Bündchen long before he needed it, thanks to the respect he showed Fauria's wife.