Tom Brady admits he’s ‘screwed up a lot as a parent’

Former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady opened up about his life as a parent, admitting that he’s not perfect.

While speaking on a panel at the 2024 Fortune Global Forum in New York City, Brady was asked about how he’s able to motivate his kids.

“All of the parents in the room know that being a parent is probably the hardest job all of us have,” Brady said. “And we screw up a lot.”

He continued.

“And I’ve screwed up a lot as a parent,” Brady added.

Brady has three kids, and it’s certainly tough to be an NFL quarterback – and arguably the greatest one of all time – while also raising children.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion shared that his goal as a father is to be as “consistent and dependable” in his kids’ lives as he can be. He also shared how important he believes it is to be supportive as a parent.

“The blessing my parents gave me was when I was that longshot as a kid who was a backup quarterback on a freshman team, they never said, ‘Man, don’t do that,’” Brady said. “‘It’s going to be too hard. Let’s do something different. Let’s think about another backup plan.’ They kind of said, ‘You know what? Go for it.’

“And that’s probably my parenting style.”

It’s pretty interesting to hear Brady open up about his parenting style, and it’s clear that he just wants to help his kids reach their goals – and support them while they’re doing it.

Even though he’s retired from the NFL, Brady has stayed involved in football, as he’s currently broadcasting games for Fox and is a part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.

During his NFL career, Brady was a three-time league MVP and 15-time Pro Bowler. He won six Super Bowls with the Patriots before heading to Tampa Bay and winning a title with the Buccaneers.

Brady led the NFL in passing touchdowns five times in his NFL career, including the 2021 season when he threw 43 scores in 17 games. He has one of the greatest resumes of any player who has played in the NFL.

Now that he’s no longer playing, Brady likely has more time to spend with his children as they navigate their own lives. Hopefully, the future Hall of Famer isn’t too rough on himself when it comes to the challenges of being a parent.