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Tom Brady gave new insight into his life as a dad of three — confessing that he has “screwed up” as a parent.
During an appearance at the Fortune Global Forum in New York City on Tuesday, November 12, the retired NFL icon, 47, discussed his parenting style — while acknowledging the challenges his sons face. Brady is father to 17-year-old son Jack with ex Bridget Moynahan, as well as son Benjamin, 14, and daughter Vivian, 11, whom he shares with his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen.
Brady and Bündchen finalized their separation in 2022, and the supermodel is currently expecting a child with her new boyfriend, Joaquim Valente.
In a clip from the conversation, obtained by TMZ, Brady gave fans a peek inside his relationship with his kids.
“Being a parent is probably the hardest job all of us have, and we screwed up a lot, and I’ve screwed up a lot as a parent,” the former New England Patriots quarterback admitted. “I have three amazing kids. I just try to be dependable and consistent for them. Honestly, whatever our kids choose, as we know, to do whatever they want to do in life, we gotta support.”
Even though the athlete tries his best to be as supportive as possible, he also recognizes that “to be a boy, it sucks to be Tom Brady’s son.”
Brady specifically mentioned his son Jack’s desire to play basketball, mentioning the fact that the teen istaller than him. “I have a son who’s 6-foot-5 and wants to play basketball,” he said, quipping: “Unfortunately, he jumps as high as I do. When I tell him, ‘Dude, you’re gonna be a stud. Wait until you hit your growth spurt…’ Whether he does or not, who cares.”
The former Tampa Bay quarterback, who is from California, tries to work with his kids on following their dreams and working through different challenges by using what he learned from his family growing up.
“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. It’s going to be too hard. Let’s do something different. Let’s think about another backup plan,'” Brady added. “They kind of said, ‘You know what? Go for it. And that’s probably my parenting style.”
