Tom Brady's return to Foxboro may have been the storyline of Sunday Night Football, but the unexpected star of the night for many fans was a quintessential New England sports fan.
Comments on Brady made by "Schwartzie from Ashland" were highlighted by Michele Tafoya before the big game on NBC.
"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," Schwartzie said, as quoted by Tafoya.
"Why are people so excited about stupid things coming out of my mouth?" laughed Kathy Schwartz, known now as "Schwartzie from Ashland."
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Schwartz is a Patriots superfan who's been going to home games religiously since 2012.
"All my electronics were stowed away, tucked inside stuff so they wouldn't get wet, and then all the sudden I get people behind me going, 'Hey Schwartzie, you're trending!'"
She went viral on social media. Even the official Patriots twitter account got in on Schwartzie-frenzy, alluding to her wish for a TB12 sack.
Now, there are even Schwartzie-inspired T-shirts and merchandise.
"It's been surreal and just insane," she said.
Schwartzie says she doesn't want fans to think she has it out for Brady.
And as a former Boston Renegades women's football player and current PA announcer, she knows what she’s talking about.
"Having played D-line, you want to sack the quarterback, and love Tom Brady off the field, but when the whistle blows, it's game time," she said.
Schwartzie says her newfound fame is kind of funny.
Since Sunday night, she's been hearing from people from high school and former co-workers she hasn't heard from in years.
