For Tom Brady, life has not become any quieter even in retirement.
The 47-year-old legendary quarterback told Stephen A. Smith at the first-ever Fanatics Fest in New York City on Friday that he is “busier than ever” as he juggles both parenthood and his new career endeavors.
“I have a lot of things going on, but I still try to be a great dad and be there for my kids,” Brady said.
Brady has 14-year-old son Benjamin and 11-year-old daughter Vivian with his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen, who divorced in October 2022. He is also father to 16-year-old son Jack from a previous relationship.
Although Brady rarely gives insight into the parenting dynamic between himself and the supermodel, he noted that raising children is never easy – regardless of the situation.
“And all the parents out there know that being a good parent is a challenge,” he told the live audience. “And I hope all of you kids appreciate your parents too! Because they put in a lot of work to make your life a little easier.”
When asked if his children “determine his life,” the New England Patriots legend replied emphatically: “Absolutely, yes!”
“Every time they call me, I know there’s a request because if they don’t call, I don’t hear from them,” the former NFL star joked. “And if I don’t hear from them, I know they don’t want anything.”
All jokes aside, Brady noticed that his children began to understand why he made certain sacrifices as they “got a little older.”
“They start to appreciate it as they get older and take on the responsibilities of being an adult,” he said. “When you’re working hard to be a father and also provide for the family, you also have to get away a little bit and really focus on your job.”
After retiring from the league in 2023, the seven-time Super Bowl champion took a year off to be with his family and launch his wellness brand, TB12.
However, the famous football star will return to the field in a different way next month. In May, Brady signed a massive 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox Sports to become their NFL analyst.
Although his weekends will likely be a little busier again, Brady has been making the most of his free time – from fulfilling a Make-A-Wish request in New York City to performing for Morgan Wallen at his concert in Las Vegas.
He also recently traveled to Paris to watch the 2024 Summer Olympics with his daughter – and documented the fun vacation for his new vlog series “Last Week With Tom Brady.”
Before watching the games, the father-daughter duo spent some time together in Italy, celebrating the former footballer’s 47th birthday. It’s unclear if his sons joined in on the European vacation, but the quartet took a short break in Montana a few weeks earlier.
While little is known about Brady and Bündchen’s co-parenting and custody arrangements, the exes found themselves in a difficult position in May when he agreed to do a Netflix roast that ended up featuring plenty of jokes about their ill-fated marriage and the model’s new romance with Joaquim Valente.
Bündchen was reportedly “deeply disappointed” by the “disrespectful” special, which she said “once again put football above his family.”
Brady later admitted that he “didn’t like” the way some of the jokes affected his family and that he wouldn’t do it again.
However, at the festival on Friday, Smith revealed that he had recently been asked to do a roast himself and asked Brady for advice.
“They’re talking about messing with me. Should I let them do that?” asked the ESPN star.
“Measure nine times and cut once,” Brady replied jokingly. “So you think Really hard about it.”
