49ers-Buccaneers: ‘Ballsy’ Dre Greenlaw asks Tom Brady to autograph ball he intercepted

Earlier this past week, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw said on the radio that it would be a dream come true to walk away from Sunday's game with a Tom Brady interception.

Then this happened in the third quarter.

It was almost like he willed it into existence. The interception was Greenlaw's first of the season and only the third of his career. This one was special, though, because of the man who threw it.

The 49ers beat Brady and the Buccaneers 35-7, improving their record to 9-4 after winning their sixth consecutive game. It was a frustrating loss for Brady, who grew up idolizing the Niners and had about 100 family and friends watching him in the stands.

That made what Greenlaw did after the game "ballsy," as Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area put it. The linebacker approached Brady and asked him to sign the ball he intercepted.

"Man, the worst thing he could tell me is, 'No,'" Greenlaw explained when Maiocco asked about the move. "I mean, I was always told, 'If you don't ask, you'll never know.'"

Greenlaw had arrived at the post-game press conference podium with the football in his hands. It was like a Christmas gift that came two weeks early.

"He's a good guy to be able to sign that ball out there," Greenlaw continued. "... He's the greatest. He's the G.O.A.T., so I appreciate that."

Greenlaw admits that he approached the future Hall of Famer like a fan.

"I went like a little fangirl," the linebacker shared. "I've got to soothe him up, make him feel better. Like, 'Yeah, man. You're the greatest to ever [play].' All that good stuff. But he is! He is. And he was like, 'Yeah, I appreciate it, man. Good job.' I was like, 'You don't even got to sign the ball,' because he looked like he was going through a lot."

That's when teammate Fred Warner approached, yelling, "You get the ball signed?"

Brady signed the football, along with the football that 49ers safety Tashaun Gipson intercepted. While speaking with reporters, Warner laughed about the exchange.

"I had to run up there with him just to make sure that Tom was going to sign them," Warner shared. "It was a cool moment. Tom, he's a standup guy, seriously. He told us how much he respected our game at the end there, and that's cool by him."

The two linebackers had sharpies ready to go for Brady.

"We came prepared," Warner said, "strolled up to him, 'Hey, Tom, can you sign the balls for us?' Like some five-year-olds. It was great."

Warner admits that he didn't get an autograph for himself.

"I didn't intercept anything today," the star linebacker said with a laugh.

For Greenlaw, it is a moment—and a souvenir—he will treasure forever.

"Sometimes, if you want it bad enough, you'll get it," Greenlaw said of the interception. "Sometimes you've got to just speak it, talk it, live it. Every day I thought about it. Every day I prayed for it."