‘If I want fun, I go to Disneyland’: Tom Brady hits back at Mayfield intensity jabs

Tom Brady took a break from his analysis duties in the Fox commentary booth on Sunday to respond to Baker Mayfield’s comments about the Super Bowl champion’s time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Mayfield is Brady’s long-term successor in Tampa after signing a contract extension with the Bucs in March. Earlier this month, Mayfield talked about how he differed from Brady in personality.

“The building was a little different with Tom in it,” Mayfield said. “It’s clear that Tom’s game is different. He had everyone calling, a tense environment, so I think everyone was quite stressed. … They wanted me to come in, be myself and bring the joy back to football, for guys who weren’t having as much fun.

Brady, who led Tampa to a Super Bowl victory in the 2020 season, is now an analyst for Fox. He addressed Mayfield’s comments while reporting the Bucs’ win over the Eagles on Sunday.

“I thought it was stressful not having Super Bowl rings,” Brady said. “So there was a mentality of a champion that I brought to work every day. This wasn’t childcare. If I wanted to have fun, I would go to Disneyland with my kids.

“There is a way to approach this game and that is with the right mentality to push each other outside our comfort zone, and great teammates do that. You come, I have someone like [Rob] Gronkokwski, I have someone like that [Mike] Evans – there are high expectations for us. We have to make sure we get out there and deliver.”

After Sunday’s game, Mayfield, who has yet to win a Super Bowl, said his comments had been misinterpreted.

“I think a lot of that was taken out of context, and none of it was personal in any way,” Mayfield said. “It’s exactly what he demanded from the guys, and that’s the Tom Brady look. And that’s what he did to get a championship here.

“Nothing personal, but yeah, when I talk before the game, he’s obviously happy for me and he knows the guys, so he knows how much I enjoy throwing to Mike. [Evans] and Chris [Godwin because] he must do the same. It’s nice to be able to talk to someone like that about the same experience.”

Mayfield also acknowledged that Brady’s methods had produced results.

“Like I said, some things were taken out of context,” Mayfield said. “He did it his own way and that’s why he has seven [Super Bowl] rings. So not much more needs to be said.”

Brady was greeted warmly by the home fans in Tampa when he appeared on the jumbotron on Sunday.

“I think he brought us some luck today,” Evans said. “The last time we played with him against the Eagles was a playoff game that we won, so I think it just brought back good memories and everyone felt the same way.”