Tom Brady clearly wasn’t happy with the New England Patriots when he made his move down south to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady and Bill Belichick were good at covering up the tension for the most part, but it was clear to everyone that the relationship needed some distance. So, the legendary quarterback took a trip to Tampa and hasn’t looked back since.
The most intriguing piece in the situation was Brady’s feelings toward the Patriots and what ultimately pushed him out. In the finale of ESPN’s “Man in the Arena,” Brady barely touched on the topic — but, it was enough to explain where he was at emotionally at the time.
NESN’s Dakota Randall detailed the most important quotes regarding Brady’s exit.
Brady: “I kinda had been through a personal journey, where I was maturing in different ways and different things were becoming priorities in my life. I knew things were coming to an end.”
Brady Sr.: “The only thing we want from our kids is to be happy. It became pretty obvious that he needed to make a change. It was wearing him down. It was beating him up.”
Brady then went on to discuss the “hamster wheel” and explain why he chose to return from retirement.
“I realize life for me has become more complicated,” Brady said. “How do I make my life a little more simple, to find a little more joy in the simple moments? Because I’m so excited about achieving more, it’s like the hamster wheel doesn’t stop. And, if you stop the hamster wheel, maybe there’s a fear that you won’t ever get back on. What’s going to bring me the joy as I move forward? …
“I know there’s time for me to be sitting in the stands, I know there’s time for me to be doing other things. But there’s still a desire to win. When you’re the man in the arena, there’s no thrill like that.”
His family is extremely important and Brady went into depth about being the best father he can be.
“When I think about being a dad, I think about (Tom Sr.),” Brady said. “Because of what my dad meant to me, and I know I’m not as good of a dad to my kids (as) my dad has been to me. I use them as my example of how to keep a family together and to care and support and to love. We want our kids to be happy. I want them to be respectful of people. I want them to be kind. I want them to make the world a better place.
“I think maybe what I wish for our children is to find something they really love like I have. But I think I’ve taken it to the extreme, too. There are imbalances in my life, and I hope they don?t take things as far as I’ve taken them. I want them to experience great success in whatever they do, but there’s a torment about me that I don’t wish upon them.”
This finale episode will air on April 26.
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