Tom Brady fires back at critics for calling him soft in expletive-filled statement
Ever since Tom Brady left New England to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, he's become more outspoken and shown more personality than in the 20 years he spent with the Patriots. He's continued with that since retiring earlier this year, saying whatever he wants, mostly when recording his "Let's Go!" podcast with hosts Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray.
Although all that he has to say may not be what some want to hear, it's provided a glimpse into a side of the quarterback that was essentially hidden throughout the two decades of dominance over the NFL, especially since a lot of what he's had to say has been revealing his true thoughts and feelings during that time.
He continued that on the latest episode of his podcast with guest Lawrence Taylor. The pair talked about the current NFL season, their perspectives on what they've seen, and how the game has changed since they both stopped playing.
And that's when Brady took the opportunity to fire back at the critics who continuously shouted he was soft throughout his career, a moniker the quarterback didn't ever want to live up to.
"Everyone thinks I was a p---y out there! I took every single (hit) and got my (a--) up!
I never wanted a defensive player saying ‘I knocked the (s---) out of him and he didn’t get up. So I made sure I got up."
Most point to the fact that he sits 9th all-time for the number of roughing-the-passer penalties that were called after hits on him, seemingly ignoring that he played for a whopping 23 seasons.
Three players above him are no longer in the league, while the others, like Russell Wilson (3rd), Aaron Rodgers (4th), and Matthew Stafford (6th), still are and currently play in the "softest era" of football to date. They also fail to acknowledge that Brady holds the record for most sacks ever in NFL history, totaling 565 for a loss of over 3,500 yards.
It's a narrative that continues despite Brady being retired, yet nobody is talking about a guy like Josh Allen, who has already had 30 roughing-the-passer penalties called on his behalf, placing him 14th on the all-time list in just six seasons.
This becomes the latest example of bias from non-Brady fans, who will grasp at almost anything they can to belittle and disrespect his career and all he accomplished to boost whoever their favorite quarterback is this week.
That's what makes Brady finally addressing some of these more ridiculous portrayals of his career now that he's stepped away from the game. It's what countless fans have been waiting for since, for the most part, they've been setting the record straight with facts and statistics.
It will be interesting to see if he continues to discuss more topics along these lines and how far he will take his response to them. Surely, Patriots fans will continue to enjoy every second of it.