Tom Brady comes out swinging against 'soft' image: "Everyone thinks I was a pu**y" out there"

Retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady has been causing a stir with his comments lately. The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star made headlines after going off on the current state of the NFL, calling it mediocre.

In an interview on the Stephen A. Smith Show, Brady said:

“I think there’s a lot of mediocrity in today’s NFL. I don’t see the excellence that I saw in the past. I think the coaching isn’t as good as it was. I don’t think the development of young players is as good as it was. I don’t think the schemes are as good as they were."

He added:

"The rules have allowed a lot of bad habits to get into the actual performance of the game. So I just think the product, in my opinion, is less than what it’s been.”

Brady continued his tirade in the latest episode of the 'Let's Go!' podcast. The quarterback claimed he was incorrectly called 'soft' for complaining to referees about tackles and hits from opposition defenders. He said:

“Everyone thinks I was a p***y out there. I took every single [hit] and got my ass up. I never wanted a defensive player saying ‘I knocked the shit out of him and he didn’t get up’ so I made sure I got up.”

Brady played 23 seasons in the NFL and won seven Super Bowl rings, six with the Patriots and one with the Buccaneers.

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Is Tom Brady returning to the NFL?

Tom Brady gets inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame

Despite retiring in 2022, Tom Brady's passion for football continues to burn bright. On Tuesday, the quarterback claimed on social media that he's willing to dust off his pads and return to the field, but there's a catch.

Retired NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson suggested that the Pro Bowl, criticized for being boring, should feature current players battling retired NFL stars. Brady chimed in and said:

"With todays rules? Give me Chad (Johnson) and Randy (Moss) on the outside and we’re putting up 35 next week.”

It's unlikely that the NFL would consider Johnson's proposition. However, Brady's response suggests he still has the itch to compete on the football field despite retiring after playing 23 seasons in the league.

Brady will be a part of the NFL next season, but from the booth. He'll begin his tenure as Fox Sports' lead football analyst. For now, he continues to flirt with the idea of returning to the field.