“HE SAVED 165 LIVES WITH NOTHING BUT COURAGE”: Tom Brady’s Special Gift to Heroic Coast Guard Swimmer Leaves America in Tears
July 7, 2025
“I had 200 scared kids counting on me.”
That’s the one thought Scott Ruskan clung to as he dropped into a living nightmare.
Over the July 4th weekend, the Texas floods swallowed Camp Mystic—a place meant for laughter, lanyards, and campfire songs. In minutes, it became a disaster zone. Cabins crumbled. Rivers exploded. Children screamed.
And standing alone in the wreckage was Petty Officer Scott Ruskan, a 26-year-old Coast Guard rescue swimmer on his very first major mission.
No backup. No map. Just shaking hands, soaked boots—and the will to save every child he could reach.
By the end of that day, 27 campers and counselors were gone.
But 165 were alive—because Scott wouldn’t let go.
“One Man. Two Feet. 200 Terrified Kids.”
The weather was so severe that a standard 1-hour flight to Kerr County took over 7 hours.
When the chopper touched down, they left Scott behind at Camp Mystic, which had become ground zero.
Then the chopper took off.
He was alone.
“I kind of discovered I was the only person there as far as first responders go,” Scott later told Good Morning America.
“So I had about 200 kids. All scared, cold, having probably the worst day of their life.”
With nothing but instinct and elite training, he started ferrying children in groups of 10 to 15, guiding them to safety through chest-high currents and falling trees. He carried kids too small to even cry. He found landing zones in mud fields, flagged helicopters, and never stopped moving.
He didn’t eat. He didn’t sleep.
He didn’t quit.
@gma
“I had about 200 kids — scared, cold, and terrified. Probably the worst day of their lives.” Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskin shares how he helped save 165 people during the devastating Texas floods at Camp Mystic. #news
♬ original sound – Good Morning America – Good Morning America
The Nation Took Notice—So Did Tom Brady
As America watched the tragedy unfold, one man was glued to the footage:
Tom Brady, NFL legend, father of three, and someone who knows exactly what pressure feels like.
But this wasn’t football. This was life or death.
And Brady knew a hero when he saw one.
A Gift That Silenced the Room
On Monday morning, Scott received a surprise at his Coast Guard base:
A wooden crate, hand-delivered. Inside:
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An official Super Bowl LI game ball, glass-encased
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A personalized Patriots jersey, embroidered with “RUSKAN – 165”
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And a letter, handwritten by Tom Brady.
“You’re the One They’ll Tell Stories About.”
The letter read:
“Scott —
You don’t know me. But I know exactly what it feels like to have an entire team looking to you in the chaos and expecting you to lead.
Except in your case, they weren’t teammates. They were terrified kids. And you didn’t just lead. You saved lives.
No ring, no trophy, no touchdown can ever come close to that.”
Brady continued:
“You’re the one they’ll tell stories about. You’re the reason 165 families still have someone to hold tonight. That number? It’s not just survivors. It’s a legacy.
You earned it in soaked boots and a flood zone when no one else was there. That’s what a real MVP looks like.”
He ended with a promise:
“As long as I have a platform, I’ll make sure your name isn’t forgotten. Because men like you don’t come around often. And when they do, they carry the world on their back—and still run into the storm.”
Signed:
Tom Brady
“Scott Didn’t Say a Word. He Just Sat Down and Wept.”
Witnesses at the Coast Guard station said when Scott read the letter, he didn’t speak.
“He just sat there. Holding the ball. Staring at the jersey. And then he cried. For the first time.”
The Quiet Hero We Didn’t Deserve
Scott Ruskan, only 26, didn’t call himself a hero.
“The kids are the heroes,” he said. “They stayed strong in the worst moment of their lives. They helped each other. They inspired me.”
But for 165 families—and for an entire nation trying to make sense of the loss—he was the line between life and death.
🕊️ In a world where so much is loud and hollow, Scott Ruskan didn’t speak much. He just acted. And now, thanks to Tom Brady, the world is listening.
Not all heroes wear jerseys. But sometimes, they get one anyway.
