Tom Brady Sr has created some uncomfortable moments for his son over the years with remarks he makes to the media, and the New England Patriots quarterback has asked his dad to tone that down a bit. Unfortunately, the old man hasn’t always listened.
Brady Sr. has spoken about Tom Jr. the way you might expect any father to talk about his son, but there have been times where the opinions expressed by the elder Brady were assumed to be shared by the six-time Super Bowl champion. Brady Sr. acknowledged that during a lengthy interview with Stan Grossfeld of The Boston Globe that was published on Monday. The elder Brady noted that he was basically “banned” from speaking with the media two years ago.
“He’s told me, ‘Dad, please respect my privacy. If you say something, it comes back at me,'” Brady Sr. recalls his 42-year-old son telling him.
It would not be a surprise if that unofficial ban came after Tom Sr. ripped Roger Goodell for the way the NFL commissioner handled Deflategate. Brady Sr., who is now 75, did not hold back while unloading on Goodell for his “beyond reprehensible” actions. A couple of years before that, the elder Brady blasted Goodell in an epic rant on the radio.
For what it’s worth, Brady Sr. has not exactly adhered to the ban. He recently hinted in an interview that Brady Jr. could end up leaving the Patriots if Bill Belichick decides it is time, which is probably something Tom Jr. would have preferred left unsaid. In his weekly appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Morning Show” on Monday, Brady Jr. joked about his dad not being able to help himself.
“Well apparently he doesn’t listen because he’s still talking to the media,” he said. “My dad, he’s just an amazing man. He’s very forthcoming with information, so I keep telling him, ‘Dad, of course they are going to keep calling because you keep talking.’
“When he speaks (everyone) thinks I am speaking, but I am not speaking. I said, ’It’s hard for me to tell you anything… ’ What I have learned is I just can’t tell my dad anything. He has his own opinions and dads do what dads do.”
Even if he wishes his dad wouldn’t be so open with the media, Brady showed us in an emotional moment at the Super Bowl two years ago just how important his father is to him. Just because Brady is the greatest quarterback of all-time doesn’t mean his dad is any different from most others.
