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Ben Affleck reveals the NFL fantasy moment he shared with Tom Brady

It was on a makeshift football field where dreams and spirals took flight


Senior Writer
MAY 1, 2025 9:49 AM EDT

Ben Affleck may have played Batman and saved Gotham, but nothing quite compares to catching a pass from the Tom Brady. On the April 30 episode of the "New Heights" podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce, the "Accountant 2" star, 52, dropped a gem of a story that gave both sports fans and movie buffs a serious nostalgia rush. 

Affleck, in full fanboy form, opened up about a once-in-a-lifetime bonding moment with none other than seven-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady, 47, and it wasn't on a red carpet. It was on a makeshift football field where dreams and spirals took flight.

Ben Affleck and Tom Brady attend Bloomberg News hosts an after-party for the White House Correspondents Dinner at 2126 Wyoming Avenue on May 1, 2004 in Washington D.C. (Photo by Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)© Patrick McMullan via Getty Image
Ben Affleck and Tom Brady attend Bloomberg News hosts an after-party for the White House Correspondents Dinner at 2126 Wyoming Avenue on May 1, 2004 in Washington D.C. (Photo by Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

"I won't lie to you," Affleck confessed. "Aside from the birth of my children, that was the greatest day."

How It All Went Down

Ben Affleck set the scene like he was pitching a screenplay. He and Brady just happened to be vacationing at the same spot, and Brady, apparently short on receivers, looked at Affleck and said, "Wanna play catch?"

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At first, it was simple: Brady gave him easy routes. "Go out here, turn around," Affleck recalled. "I run as fast as I can, turn around, and this guy's just standing there like he's been waiting 45 minutes." Brady was already locked, loaded, and laser-focused.

Affleck admitted he caught the ball mostly out of fear. "I was afraid of breaking my nose more than anything else," but Brady started dialing it up as the session continued.

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Tom Brady and Ben Affleck speak onstage during G.R.O.A.T The Greatest Roast Of All Time: Tom Brady for the Netflix is a Joke Festival at The Kia Forum on May 05, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Netflix)

"Alright," Brady said, according to Affleck. "Pretend it's fourth and 18. 23 seconds left in the Super Bowl. Just run."

"To me, I was going as fast as you can go," Affleck joked. "To him, I'm sure I looked like I was in slow motion."

The Catch That Became a Legend

Then came the moment that will forever live rent-free in Ben Affleck's brain. The ball sailed through the air, and Affleck had to go to full extension to snag it. "I f---ing catch it," he said proudly. "I acted like I won. I called everybody I knew."

Jason and Travis Kelce, clearly impressed, gave him a well-earned "Let's GO!" as the actor basked in his gridiron glory. Catching a Brady pass still takes the cake for a guy who's faced off with Superman and taken on international cartels on screen.

A Sandlot Moment, But Make It Hollywood

"You had a real Sandlot moment," Jason Kelce said, perfectly summing it up. Affleck agreed, calling it "the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me." That hour of playing catch wasn't just about the throws; it was about living out a childhood fantasy that most New England kids dream of but never experience. 

And for Affleck, a diehard Patriots fan who once called Brady "a prince and a really sweet man, and the greatest football player that ever lived," it was the kind of memory you take to your grave.

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