It’s been a challenging year for Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, who have dropped two of their past three games, including Sunday’s 34-23 loss to the Bengals.
Amid a season filled with difficult circumstances, the seven-time Super Bowl champion knows now is “not the time to feel sorry for yourself” and to keep moving forward as the postseason nears.
“It’s interesting because you would think, ‘Oh, well, why is he still playing?’ Because all you want to do is win, and that’s all sports should be about is winning. And I agree it should be about winning, but it’s also, I’m looking at it like, no, what am I learning? What am I learning from putting a similar amount of energy in over the last couple years and not winning? What is that teaching me?” Brady said Monday on his SiriusXM podcast, “Let’s Go!”
“You know, why should we feel like we’re just entitled to win all the time? We’re not. That’s not what life’s about.”
Brady enjoyed immediate success upon joining the Buccaneers in 2020 following two decades with the Patriots. Not only did Tampa Bay win the Super Bowl in February 2021, but it advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs the following year before being ousted by the Rams.
Now at 6-8, the Buccaneers still have a hold on the NFC South with three games remaining, two of which are against divisional opponents. Even through a trying year both on and off the field, Brady noted Monday how the woe-is-me mentality is not the way to forge ahead.
“I think anyone who’s gone through life and struggles at their job or struggles in other aspects of life, when you do put effort and energy into it, you know, what are you learning from that as opposed to, you know, why is that happening to you and for you?” the 45-year-old quarterback said.
“You’re not a victim of that. We’re not a victim of losing games. The sun came up today. We’ve got something to do about it. We woke up, we have a chance. This is not the time to feel sorry for yourself. So get up, go into work and make it better, and improve it and work harder and work more determined.”
Brady and the Buccaneers will have a chance to bounce back from Sunday’s disappointing showing with a primetime Christmas Day matchup against the Cardinals (4-10).
Though Brady’s been zoned in on football since his 23rd NFL season began, the quarterback’s marriage to supermodel Gisele Bündchen came under intense speculation in September as the regular season got underway. The two confirmed in October they had finalized their divorce after 13 years of marriage.
“We are blessed with beautiful and wonderful children who will continue to be the center of our world in every way. We will continue to work together as parents to always ensure they receive the love and attention they deserve. We arrived at this decision to end our marriage after much consideration,” Brady said on social media at the time.
Brady and Bündchen, 42, have two children together, son Benjamin, 13, and daughter Vivian, 10. The quarterback is also a dad to 15-year-old son Jack, whom he shares with ex Bridget Moynahan.
