Tom Brady becomes co-owner of English soccer club Birmingham City: "I like being the underdog"
NFL legend Tom Brady has become the co-owner of English soccer team Birmingham City, the club said Thursday in a surprise announcement. The star quarterback, who retired in February after winning seven Super Bowls over an illustrious 23-year career, will take on an advisory role at the British team.
"Maybe you're asking, 'What do you know about English football, Tom?'" Brady said in an announcement video posted online Thursday. "Well, let's just say I've got a lot to learn. But I do know a few things about winning."
Brady partnered with Knighthead Capital Management, the club's U.S. holding company, to become a minority owner. He will be chairman of a new advisory board.
In the role, he will "apply his extensive leadership experience and expertise across several components of the Club," Birmingham City said, including advising on health, nutrition and wellness, and working on global marketing efforts and partnerships.
"Tom Brady joining the Birmingham City team is a statement of intent," chairman of the board Tom Wagner said. "We are setting the bar at world class."
In the same club statement, Brady added: "I've been part of some amazing teams in my day, and I'm looking forward to applying my perspective to create that same success here in Birmingham."
Fans will hope that Brady's arrival can help propel Birmingham City back into Britain's Premier League, which they last competed in over a decade ago. The team, currently languishing in the second tier of English soccer, is based in England's second largest city and seen by soccer fans as something of a sleeping giant.
Brady is the latest in a string of high-profile Americans to invest in English soccer. Former NFL defensive player of the year J.J. Watt announced in May that he'd become a minority investor in Burnley's soccer club, while in December actor Michael B. Jordan was part of a $185 million takeover of Bournemouth.
"I know that a team is nothing without the city that shows up and stands behind it," Brady said in his announcement video, wearing a snug-fitting club jersey. "Most importantly, I know I like being the underdog."
"I'll see you at St. Andrew's soon," Brady said, referring to the club's stadium. "It's time to get to work."