Tom Brady is widely considered one of the greatest and most accomplished NFL players in history. However, he’s faced challenges in one important area of life: parenting.
At the Fortune Global Forum in New York City on Tuesday, Brady openly admitted to making some significant mistakes as a parent over the years.
“All of the parents of the room know that being a parent is probably the hardest job all of us have and we screw up a lot, and I’ve screwed up a lot as a parent,” he said via the New York Post.
“So I don’t want to seem like I’m some expert in parenting, because I’m certainly not that,” he continued.
Still, Brady emphasized that he has always tried his best when it comes to his kids.
He explained that he strives to be “dependable and consistent” for his “three amazing kids.”
Brady also stated that he would support his children in whatever they “want to do in life.”
The seven-time Super Bowl champion specifically mentioned his 17-year-old son Jack, acknowledging that it “sucks” to be “Tom Brady’s son in so many ways.”
Yet, despite these challenges, Brady remains committed to supporting his children.
“There’s a lot of challenges I faced as a kid … my kid naturally are going to be faced with their own challenges,” he said. “And I’ll be there to support them a lot like my parents did. And I’ll be learning along the way right there with them.”
Needless to say, these brutally honest words led to a lot of reactions from fans in the comments of the New York Post story.
“There is no owners manual to being a parent and it’s a difficult job. The main thing is to be there to support your kids in both success and failure, set the right examples and to be as involved as possible,” one person wrote.
“I once told my daughter – I’m winging it. I’ve never been the mother of a 12 year old before. Thankfully she turned into a successful young adult,” someone else wrote.
“I always admired Tom Bradys work ethic and I truly believe he loves his family and wants the best for them. We all make mistakes as parents. Each generation either improves on those mistakes or repeats them,” another person added.
“You cannot be the GOAT and an international ‘brand’ like Tom Brady is – and be a good parent, too, it’s impossible. He had to follow the golden brick road while it was in front of him, not many people get the opportunity. Now, he has the rest of his life to make amends,” someone else wrote.
“Tom – Do your BEST everyday – and think of the long term effect on your children’s memories with your actions today. Placing yourself 10 years from now and being retrospective, will guide you on the right decisions. Good Luck,” someone else added.
Now that he’s retired, Brady likely has more time to spend with his children.
