Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady controversially compared going through an NFL season to military deployment on his Let’s Go! podcast with Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray earlier this week.
“I almost look at like a football season like you’re going away on deployment in the military, and it’s like, ‘Man, here I go again,’” Brady said.
“There’s only one way to do it. … The reality is you can really only be authentic to yourself, right? Whenever you may say, ‘Oh man, I want to, you know, make sure I spend a little more time doing this.’ When it comes down to it, your competitiveness takes over and as much as you want to have this playful balance with the work balance, you’re going to end up doing exactly what you’ve always done, which is why you are who you are. You’re going to go, ‘How the [expletive] do I get it done?’ You know, ‘What do I got to do to get it done?’”
After receiving backlash for the comparison, Brady opened his Thursday media availability by apologizing, calling the metaphor a “very poor choice of words.”
“Earlier this week, I made a statement about playing football and the military, and it was a very poor choice of words,” Brady said. “I just want to express that to any sentiments out there that people may have taken it in a certain way, so I apologize.”
It’s been a slow beginning to the season for Brady and the Tampa Bay offense, as the Buccaneers rank 20th in scoring and 21st in yards gained among the league’s 32 teams. With Tampa Bay at 3–3 through six games, Brady is off to his worst start since the 2012 season.
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