While Tom Brady’s career as a football player is one for the storybooks, the seven-time Super Bowl champion revealed that he has “messed up a lot” as a father.
Brady shares 17-year-old son Jack with Bridget Moynahan and has a youngest son and daughter – Benjamin and Vivian – with Gisele Bundchen.
The legendary quarterback admitted his parental shortcomings during a panel discussion at the 2024 Fortune Global Forum in New York City.
When asked about motivating his children despite casting a huge shadow over them with his success, Brady said, “All the parents in the room know that being a parent is probably the hardest job we all have. And we screw up a lot.”
“And I’ve screwed up a lot as a parent,” he repeated. “I don’t want to give the impression that I’m an expert on parenting, because I’m certainly not.”
Tom Brady revealed that he “screwed up a lot as a parent” during Gisele Bundchen’s pregnancy
Brady has son Jack with Bridget Moynahan and two children, Benjamin and Vivian, with Bundchen
Brady then talked about how he strives to be a good father, telling the audience that his goal is to be “reliable and consistent” with his children.
He also stated that he was extremely supportive of his children’s efforts while encouraging them, admitting that it is “tough being Tom Brady’s son as a boy.”
“The blessing my parents gave me,” he said, “was that when I had such a long shot as a kid and was a backup quarterback on a freshman team, they never said, ‘Man, don’t do that.’ It’s going to be too difficult. Let’s do something different. Let’s think about another backup plan.”
“They were like, ‘You know what? Go for it,” he added. “And that’s probably my parenting style.”
Brady’s admission comes two weeks after Bundchen announced her pregnancy with boyfriend and jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente.
Tom and Gisele confirmed they were divorcing in October 2022 after 13 years of marriage
The pair started dating shortly after Brady and the Brazilian model divorced in October 2022.
Nevertheless, Brady tries to maintain a good relationship with his children. He also noted that Jack is 6 feet tall and wants to pursue basketball despite not having the biggest vertical jump.
“I tell him, ‘Dude, you’re going to be a stud. Wait until you hit your growth spurt, you’re going to jump higher, you’re going to dunk.”
“And whether he does or not, who cares?” Brady continued. “I want him to know that his father has his back.”
“My children will face their own challenges and they will also have to figure out how to overcome them. And I will be there to support them, just like my parents. And along the way I learn together with them.’