SANTA CLARA — After the 49ers' 35-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Levi's Stadium, Dre Greenlaw let his inner fanboy out when meeting quarterback Tom Brady.
Midway through the third quarter, the 49ers linebacker intercepted a pass that Brady had intended for Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans. Greenlaw held onto the ball and, after the game, took it to midfield and asked the future Hall of Fame quarterback to autograph it.
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“Man, the worst thing he could tell me is no,” Greenlaw said. “I was always told, if you don't ask, you’ll never know. He is a good guy to be able to sign that ball after he threw them pick. That’s big time. I appreciate it. He is the greatest. He’s the GOAT.”
But it almost didn’t happen. Greenlaw felt bad for Brady after the 49ers' beatdown that included two interceptions -- his own and one to Tashaun Gipson. He nearly lost his nerve, but he had fellow linebacker Fred Warner's support with him.
“I went like a little fangirl,” Greenlaw said. “I tried to soothe him up and make him feel better, ‘Man, you’re the greatest ever.’ But, he is. He really is. I was like, ‘Man, you don’t even got to sign the balls.’ ”
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Warner, of course, wasn’t going to let his teammate get away with chickening out. The All-Pro admitted he was star-struck by Brady as well.
“Yeah, we had our little moment out there,” Warner said. “Me and Dre ran up to him. Dre had his football with him and Gips and asked him to sign the footballs. I had to run up there with him just to make sure Tom was going to sign them.
“It was a cool moment. Tom is a stand-up guy. He told us how much he respected our game, too. He’s the GOAT, seriously.”
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Warner was a little disappointed that he didn't intercept one of Brady's passes as well, thus not being able to obtain a one-of-a-kind memento from the game. The funniest part about the interaction might have been that the linebacker duo had a Sharpie with them for the autograph.
"We did," Warner said. "We came prepared. Strolled up to him, 'Hey Tom, can you sign the balls for us?' Like some 5-year-olds. It was great."