Tom Brady will make his highly anticipated broadcast debut this fall, but it appears he doesn’t want to bring his quarterback mentality into the Fox Sports booth.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion, who will become Fox’s lead NFL commentator and work alongside Kevin Burkhart on the network’s biggest games of the 2024 season, recently explained that he is trying to tone down the overly critical, no-nonsense attitude he often displayed throughout his 23-year playing career.
“I think the analysis of what we’re actually seeing is relatively easy for me,” Brady said. Latest episode of the “SI Media With Jimmy Traina” podcast“That’s kind of what I’ve been doing every day. I think the preparation is going to be really fun. The key for me is how do we continue to do that so people can enjoy the viewing experience.”
“Sometimes I can take myself a little too seriously because I see myself as Tom Brady the quarterback, as opposed to just enjoying the game of great football that Tom Brady plays. I can be a little too critical sometimes, so I try to keep the tone appropriate. I was hard on my teammates… intense, competitive. I want to avoid that. I have very specific ideas about how the game should be played, and I want to see the game evolve and grow.”
“I guess I have high expectations because I anticipate how the game is going to play out. I think great players have a certain expectation level, and I want to see them perform really well. One of the things I can contribute is how can I help other people be successful as well? How can I play a role in seeing other people achieve their goals and cross the finish line? So what wisdom can I impart to the game, to people, coaches, officials, fans, so that they can say, ‘This is useful to me’ from what I’ve learned?”
Brady, whose No. 12 jersey was retired by the Patriots on Wednesday, agreed to a 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox Sports in 2022.
The 46-year-old retired quarterback replaces former NFL tight end Greg Olsen, who won a Sports Emmy Award last season for his work as FOX’s top NFL commentator.
Brady said joining Fox Sports was a “no brainer,” but explained that taking a year off was beneficial as it gave him time to freshen up his playing career and speak with industry insiders about preparing for his broadcast debut.
“For me, it was the only way [take a year off]”Coming off my season, I realized jumping right into that world was going to be a whole different field to learn, so I wanted to take the time to watch people, listen to people, learn from people and talk to people that I really think are the best at what they’ve done,” Brady said.
“Everyone has been so welcoming and calling me – I’ll be making a lot more calls before the season starts – and I’m so grateful to everyone who’s given me so many great tips and ways to succeed that I can continue to relate to.”
How does he deal with feedback and criticism?
“I think that’s a great part and in some ways, I think 28 years of college and professional sports has helped me develop a lot of thick skin,” Brady said. “There’s no scoreboard in this… A lot of people I’ve talked to are like, ‘I love Tony Romo’ or ‘I can’t stand Cris Collinsworth,’ but it takes someone to say, ‘I’m a [him].
“…And it’s, ‘Everybody has their own preferences, and you can never please everybody. I think what’s really important for all of us playing this role is, ‘Am I happy with what I see in the mirror? Did I prepare hard? Did I give my best? Did I give my best to the team that I work with? Did I give my best to the audience?’ And if I do that, then I’m OK.”
“You guys might not like it. I get that. That’s OK. But I’m just doing my commentary, my analysis. So at the end of the day, I kind of played quarterback. It’s about pleasing myself.”
Brady’s first time in the Fox Sports NFL booth will be the Week 1 Browns-Cowboys game in Cleveland on Sept. 8.
