Tom Brady’s NFL career seemed to have few blemishes on the surface, but even he would have changed one key aspect.
When speaking on “The Pivot Podcast” with Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder in mid-May, Brady got candid about his approach to success — one which may have actually been too methodical.
“What I would have changed was, OK , there’s part of me that still loves … You see these young players. I see, like, Patrick [Mahomes] out there at quarterback, laughing, having fun,” Brady said in the recently resurfaced clip. “I’m like, ‘I used to be like that!’ What the hell happened to me? I just got too serious.”
Much like the rest of the mid-2010s Patriots under Bill Belichick, Brady often seemed robotic when on the field, unperturbed with large deficits and never joking around.
If he did express emotion, the uber-competitive Brady was known for his intensity, even if it meant ruffling feathers — such as by throwing a Microsoft Surface tablet or yelling in the face of a teammate.
But as the seven-time Super Bowl champion enters the broadcast booth and maintains his other business ventures, he’s aiming to be a bit more lighthearted.
“You just learn from it, and go, ‘OK, now next phase of life, enjoy it a little more,’” Brady said.
The soon-to-be 47-year-old also opened up about balancing the ceaseless pursuit of his football goals with off-the-field opportunities as a young star.
“So much [of], I think, the early part of my career was trying to fulfill people’s new expectations of me — and me still being the 14-year-old boy that wanted to fit in. I was like, ‘I just want to go to the field and play,’” Brady said. “Now, there was all these other things to choose from.
“Next thing you know, you’re overwhelmed because you didn’t sleep, you didn’t eat right, you were partying. I’m like, ‘I don’t really like the way I’m feeling.’”
Despite retiring after the 2022 season, Brady has remained as prominent as ever.
This offseason alone, Brady made his Fox Sports broadcasting debut during the UFL championship, was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame — three years prior to typical eligibility requirements — and was roasted by a star-studded cast.
With NFL training camps beginning this month, the first season of the future Hall of Famer calling NFL games with Fox’s Kevin Burkhardt is coming into focus.
Brady will make his official NFL regular-season debut in Week 1 as the Browns host the Cowboys.
Featuring household-name quarterbacks Dak Prescott and Deshaun Watson and two 2023 playoff teams, the matchup should give fans an early glimpse into Brady’s style as a commentator.