Tom Brady apologizes for comparing playing football to a military deployment
BOSTON -- Earlier this week on his podcast, Tom Brady made a questionable analogy, stating that a football player during a season is "like you're going away on deployment for the military."
Naturally, Brady caught plenty of criticism for that comment. And on Thursday, he apologized for making it.
"Before we start, could I say one thing?" Brady stated at the start of his press conference with the Tampa media. "Earlier this week, I made a statement about playing football and the military, and it was a very poor choice of words. And I just want express that to any sentiments out there that people may have taken it in a certain way. So, I apologize."
Later, a reporter asked him to further clarify what he meant with the original statement, but Brady only sought to put the comment to bed.
"To be honest, I don't really want to expand on it too much," Brady replied. "I just have a tremendous amount of gratitude for everyone who's served. And in the end, we play a game, and the military is defending our country. It's two very different things and I shouldn't have made the comparison."
Brady has, of course, been in the midst of some family turmoil, as he plays for the Buccaneers in his age 45 season. His initial comment was meant to explain the challenges of balancing his life with his career, but the comparison to a military deployment obviously missed the intended mark.
Brady also generated a stir last weekend, when his expletive-laden sideline tirade was broadcast during the Bucs' loss in Pittsburgh. On that matter, Brady didn't apologize for yelling at his offensive line, as he said that's just a part of his leadership style.
"I think that me and my ability to -- whether that's raise my voice at people or create a sense of urgency, that's just part of my style. I mean, I've done that for certainly a long period of time," Brady said. "And I think the guys up front know how much I care about 'em, and we have a lot of great conversations over the course of the week in our own individual meetings on the practice field where they feel like they can say anything to me. And I feel like I can say anything to them. So, I think everyone's trying to work hard to put ourselves in a better position to win, and I don't think anyone's going to be happy -- certainly not me -- until we start winning and playing the way we're capable. That's what our job is. Now, yelling's not gonna fix that. I think going out and doing a better job and working on the things that are gonna help us improve is ultimately what's gonna make us a better football team."
