'Schwartzie You're Blowing Up!' Patriots Fan From Ashland Shocked By Viral Fame During Tom Brady's Return
ASHLAND (CBS) – Kathy Schwartz, a Patriots season ticket holder, was at Gillette Stadium watching the game Sunday night like any other week. But while she watched Tom Brady eke out a win against his former team, the Ashland resident's phone started buzzing.
"I don't always look at my phone during the game. People are going 'Schwartzie, you're blowing up. Twitter's going insane. You're trending.' And I'm like, 'I'm trending? No that's not possible,'" Schwartz said.
During the Sunday Night Football broadcast, NBC showed quotes from various fans on how they were feeling about Brady's return.
"Schwartzy" from Ashland (who later told WBZ-TV her name had been misspelled in the broadcast), went viral thanks to her response.
"I'll cheer for him when he comes out. But after that, nah. I want some sacks. I want to see our frigging linebackers just pummel them and punish him," Schwartz said in the on-screen graphic, which featured a photo of her in her 1977 Dodge Royal Monaco station wagon.
Schwartzy energy all night pic.twitter.com/nJezu2UusH
— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) October 4, 2021
Schwartz said she gave the quote to a Sunday Night Football staff member while tailgating before the Week 3 game against the Saints. She thinks the station wagon drew the crew's attention.
The season ticket holder since 2012 hoped to make the television broadcast, but had no idea her response would resonate like it did.
"Weirder than I would have ever imagined … It was insane," Schwartz said of the social media response. "Slow news day? Maybe I struck a chord with Patriots fans and football fans in general."
Schwartz previously played football for the Boston Militia and New England Intensity. She's now an announcer for the Boston Renegades.
Overall, Schwartz said she's had a great response from fans. She said she may start sharing some of her live streams from Patriots tailgates in the future.
As for Brady? Schwartz is still a fan. But she's moved on.
"I still love Tom Brady, don't get me wrong," Schwartz said. "But he left. Most of the bitterness is gone. He's on another team. He's not on the Patriots. I root for the Patriots."