San Francisco 49ers’ running back Christian McCaffrey, Los Angeles Chargers’ cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II and Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. are just some of the notable active NFLers who followed their fathers’ footsteps.
But if retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady gets his wish, there won’t be a second generation of football players in his family.
In an interview with ESPN (h/t Matt Audilet of The Spun), the seven-time Super Bowl champion and four-time league MVP explained that he hopes his kids don’t end up following his footsteps into the NFL.
Brady’s oldest son, Jack, plays high school football. The 45-year-old cited the “crazy expectations” Jack would experience as a reason why he doesn’t want him playing pro football. That said, the future Hall of Famer said he’ll “support” whatever his kids choose.
“I hope he finds the things in his life that allow him to get up everyday to be internally motivated to work hard at something that he loves to do. I wouldn’t chose for him to do [football] because there’s a lot of crazy expectations that people would put on him — most of them very unfair.
Whatever they choose, I’m there to support them. I think as parents that’s what we should do. We should support our children’s dreams whatever they may be — it doesn’t need to be sports. It could be performing art, it could be music, it could be science, it could be law, it could be medicine. That’s part of being a parent.”
Brady had Jack with his ex-girlfriend, actress Bridget Moynahan. Brady and his ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen, also have a son Benjamin and a daughter Vivian. Brady and Bündchen announced their divorce in October, following 13 years of marriage.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
Brady announced his second retirement from football on Feb. 1, less than a month after his team was eliminated by the Dallas Cowboys in the opening round of the postseason. He retired as the all-time leader in completions (7,753), passing yards (89,214) and passing touchdowns (649).
The NFL legend has kept himself busy since retiring, purchasing minority ownership stakes in the Las Vegas Raiders and the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, both owned by Mark Davis. Brady will eventually work at FOX Sports as an NFL commentator, presumably beginning in the 2024 season.
