It has been more than two weeks since Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The future Hall of Fame quarterback wrote about leaving the New England Patriots in a Players’ Tribune article posted earlier this week and on Wednesday morning he went into more detail about his decision and delved deeper into his career as a guest on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show.
Brady is currently renting Derek Jeter’s mansion in Tampa and after battling through some internet connectivity issues early, the typically reserved QB and Stern gabbed for more than two hours.
Here are some highlights from the conversation:
Deciding to leave the Patriots…
Brady admitted that he “probably knew before the start of last season” that he’d be leaving the Patriots but added that he holds no grudges over the fact he didn’t end up being a lifetime Patriot.
“It was just time. I don’t know what to say other than that. I accomplished everything I could in two decades with an incredible organization, an incredible group of people, and that will never change. No one can ever take that away from me, no one can ever take those experiences or Super Bowl championships away from us.”
Relationship with Bill Belichick…
You’ll hear a certain segment of football fans argue that Brady is a system quarterback and would never have had the success he’s had without Belichick.
“I think it’s a pretty (expletive) argument actually that people would say that, because again, I can’t do his job, and he can’t do mine. So the fact you could say, ‘Would I be successful without him, the same level of success?’ I don’t believe I would have been. But I feel the same vice versa as well. To have him allowed me to be the best I can be, so I’m grateful for that. I very much believe that he feels the same way about me, because we’ve expressed that to each other.”
The Patriots traded backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers in 2017. This reportedly caused somewhat of a rift between Belichick and Brady since Garoppolo was essentially Belichick’s succession plan for when Brady eventually retired. This led some fans and pundits to question Belichick’s loyalty.
“I think he has a lot of loyalty. He and I have had a lot of conversations that nobody has ever been privy to, nor should they be, that so many wrong assumptions were made about our relationship or about how he felt about me. I know genuinely how he feels about me.
“I’m not going to respond to every rumor or assumption that’s made, other than what his responsibility as coach is to get the best player for the team not only in the short term but in the long term as well.
“I got into uncharted territory as an athlete because I started to break the mold of what so many other athletes had experienced, so I got to the point where I was an older athlete and he’s starting to plan for the future, which is what his responsibility is. I don’t fault him for that. That’s what he should be doing. Not that I would ever coach, but if I was ever in a position of authority, I would understand that too.”
On his legacy…
Brady and the word legacy are closely linked. His six Super Bowl rings and the constant GOAT debates that surround him probably have something to do with that, but it’s not something Brady dwells on.
“I would say I never cared about legacy. I could give a (expletive) about that. I never once, when I was in high school, said, ‘Man, I can’t wait for what my football legacy looks like.’ That’s just not me. That’s just not my personality.”
On relating to a wide variety of teammates…
Throughout his career, Brady has played with players who came from all walks of life but at the end of the day they were all united by football.
“You develop relationships with all these different people and you’ve gotta find ways to connect on different levels with different guys. I’ll be 43 this year, and a lot of my teammates will be 22. I’ve got to connect with the 22-year-olds and find things we can share and have fun with. I think that’s why I’ve always enjoyed team sports because it’s not just about me.”
New England’s epic Super Bowl comeback…
Brady is no stranger to dramatic victories and perhaps his most notable occurred four seasons ago against the Falcons.
“We were down 28-3 against Atlanta in Super Bowl 51. You can look at that situation and basically quit and say, you know, ‘(Expletive) it. We have no shot of winning,’ or you can say ‘This is going to be an amazing comeback. When we come back from this, this is going to be the defining moment in life,’ or a defining moment in a professional career. I think when you shift your mind and think that way, it becomes very empowering as opposed to very discouraging. So anytime we’re down in a game, I think, ‘Man, if we come back and win this game, we’re the hero,’ rather than ‘Oh, (expletive), we’re screwed. We have no shot.’”
How much more football does he have left in him?
Brady’s completion percentage has declined in each of the past four year. Bucs fans certainly hope that trend doesn’t continue when he debuts with his second NFL franchise.
“For me, it’s doing what I love to do. You don’t tell a musician to stop singing at age 42. You don’t tell a great painter, stop painting at 42. If you want to stop, stop, go ahead. But for me, because I feel like I can still play it doesn’t mean I should just stop playing because that’s what everyone tells me I should do.”
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