What was billed as “the greatest roast of all time” was anything but for Tom Brady, who expressed regret over the impact on his three children.
“I loved when the jokes were about me,” Brady said Tuesday on “The Pivot” podcast with Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder. “I thought she was so funny. I didn’t like how they influenced my children.”
“So it’s the hardest part; the bittersweet aspect of doing something that you thought was a possibility and suddenly you realize I wouldn't do that again because it actually affected the people I care about.” about most in the world.
Brady's comments came at the end of the 56-minute podcast, when he was asked by Taylor – his teammate with the New England Patriots in 2009 and 2010 – if he learned anything about himself from the roast.
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Taylor's question was asked more in the context of his connection to his teammates and how it seemed to reflect their bonds formed over years in the locker room, but Brady instead focused on his children Jack, Benjamin and Vivian.
“It makes you a better parent in some ways when you go through that,” he said. “Sometimes you’re naive. You don't know, or you're a little like, 'Oh, shit.'
“I love it when people make fun of me. As a parent, it will make me a better parent in the future.
Brady added: “At the same time, I’m glad everyone who was there had a great time. And I think for me, beyond that, it's always good: 'If we don't laugh at things, then we can' I cry.' I think we should have more fun in the locker room. Let’s do more of this and celebrate other people’s success.
Part of the podcast focused on May being Mental Health Awareness Month, with Brady acknowledging how he is doing in this area.
“I just do my best to check in with myself as often as I can — my physical health, my mental health, my emotional health,” he said. “I'm working on that. Every year I think I’ll start something different.”
“I think last year I wanted to kind of rebuild my body because I lost a lot of weight in my last season. It was a challenge. There is a lot of work this year. I think next year I will really calm down towards a better, more sustainable rhythm of life between all our tasks. When is it not enough? I'll leave when we retire.
Brady revealed another aspect of retirement that has challenged him.
“Sometimes I feel like I'm just sitting in the washing machine for a bit, not quite sure where you're going, what the schedule is. The structure, the habits have a positive effect on us at different times; when you put on. “If you don't have that, you're bouncing around – you're also like a ping-pong ball,” he said, admitting that he's “not really in my center at the moment.”
“As a quarterback, I obviously felt like I was in control. I loved flying the plane and acting as an operator. I think what you realize in life is that you don't have that much control. What more do I need to do in my life? I have to perform better with less control. I can't be so worried when things don't go exactly the way I want them to.
