An early December win by the New England Patriots might have changed the face of Michigan football.

Tom Brady helped convince Jim Harbaugh to return to Michigan as head coach, according to an excerpt from “Endzone: The Rise, Fall and Return of Michigan Football,” by John Bacon. It took a Patriots win to get up the guts to ask Brady, however.

Check out the pertinent section of the excerpt, via The Wolverine.

Jay Flannelly, the former team manager turned dishwasher at Pizza House, known as ‘The Beav’ by the former players, knew he could ask Tom Brady for almost anything — except after a loss. The Sunday after the Michigan-Ohio State game, November 30, the Patriots suffered only their third defeat of the season at Green Bay. Flannelly wasn’t going to bother asking a favor after that one.

But on December 7, the Patriots got back to their winning ways in San Diego, beating the Chargers, 23-14, to go 10-3 on the season.