- Tom Brady prepares not to play again for first time in 32 years
- His son Benjamin will, but he won’t be a quarterback like his father
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Tom Brady revealed that his son Benjamin snubbed his father and instead wants to follow in Rob Gronkowski’s footsteps and become the NFL’s next superstar tight end, not quarterback.
Brady, 46, has three children. His youngest son Benny, 13, is about to start his own football career, much to his delight.
But rather than becoming a superstar quarterback like his father, Brady revealed his son plans to shine at tight end like his most famous teammate, Gronk.
“Benny, my son is playing football this year, so I’ve been throwing the ball to him in the backyard,” Brady explained on the latest episode of his podcast “Let’s Go!” With Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray on SiriusXM.
“He wants to be a tight end like Gronk, he’s going to be a little beast. He’s an amazing kid with a lot of talent. He’s a very talented musician and artist. And then this year he told me , “Dad, I’m playing football. ” I was like, “What do you want to play?” “Tight end,” he said. I want to be like Gronk! ”
“So I actually texted Gronk and I was like, ‘Yo, my kid wants to be like you!'” I loved it. …I was throwing stuff in the backyard last night and my daughter asked me to play football. And (I’m) really enjoying this new experience. There is much to live for in life.
While Brady won’t be on the field when the season begins, he will be inside the football stadium ready to be honored before the New England Patriots take on the Eagles.
Calling the upcoming event a “special reunion,” Brady spoke of his excitement to return to Gillette Stadium without having to wear a helmet.
“I’ll be back in Gillette, New England on Saturday and Mr. Kraft has made me very welcome, so I’m going to meet a lot of good friends there. A lot of people have texted me saying they’re excited to see me back.
“I’m just happy to get there. I didn’t come back much, just, you know, just going with the flow. Your life takes you in different directions.
Brady will assume an analyst role through 2024 after signing a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox.
After retiring for the second and final time in February, Brady made his first appearance on Fox Sports this week.
He briefly appeared on college football fans’ screens Saturday when he appeared on Fox’s noon kickoff show in a promotional video promoting his alma mater, Michigan State, and sending a message to other rival teams.
“Look, guys, I don’t want to ruin everything for everyone else, but this is Michigan’s year,” the former quarterback said.
“We had two consecutive Big Ten championships, beat Ohio State twice…Sorry Urban (Meyers)…look at Coach Harbaugh has got all the key pieces back … He has a blue-chip quarterback in JJ McCarthy, a two-headed monster in the backfield, and we have a strong defense.
Brady was selected by Michigan State with the 199th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.
Brady spoke of his excitement for his new role, adding: “I think there’s a lot of cool stuff happening, and I think part of life is growing in different ways, branching out in different ways, trying new things and getting out of the way Comfort zone.
“I think even the expectations I have for myself, I’m going to work really hard at this part of my career because I know the first time you try something, you’re not going to be good at it. The first time I threw a football , I didn’t play well. The first time I tried math equations, I wasn’t very good at it.
“So looking at it from a different perspective, it’s never going to be the easiest way to try anything the first time and you have to keep working at it.”
One of Brady’s on-air assignments next year will be to discuss the careers of his former teammates and rivals, one of the most notable of the latter being Aaron Rodgers.
A-Rod’s summer move to the New York Jets made headlines, and Brady was happy to share his thoughts on the veteran quarterback, claiming he will be successful at MetLife Stadium in 2023.
“I’m excited for him,” Brady said. ‘He’ll be full of energy. It seems like he’s doing pretty well this year. I know he’s been busy in the offseason, which is always great, and really worked hard to connect with his teammates.
“So I’m excited to see what he’s done. They’ve got a really good team. Their offense is really good. And, you know, Aaron’s been, when he’s got good receivers, man, it’s Very dangerous. … I think he’s going to have a good year.
It’s fair to say that Brady is also looking forward to having a good year – the first in more than three decades without the pressure and nerves of putting on a uniform.