A lot of professional athletes and coaches like to pretend they don’t listen to the prognosticators in the sports media industry. Tom Brady has no trouble letting people know he’s heard some of the criticism, even when it comes from a former teammate.
Former Patriots linebacker and Brady’s ex-teammate, Rob Ninkovitch, recently made an appearance on ESPN’s Keyshawn, JWill and Max. He said he recently sent a text to the quarterback, complimenting him on a strong end to the season.
Apparently, it didn’t go over too well with Brady. When Keyshawn Johnson asked Ninkovitch whether Brady would return in 2023, he explained an interesting text exchange.
“I’ve been trying to investigate that,” Ninkovitch said. “I’ve been trying to get some info out of that and I’m not getting anywhere with that. And then I tried to be nice and just you know, hit up a friend and be like, ‘Hey man, great season. I hope you’re recovering… you finished well, you still got it.’ And he responds: ‘Not according to your hard-hitting analysis.’”
Ninkovitch said he tried to think back about what he might’ve said that triggered Brady’s angry response. Co-host Max Kellerman said he remembers the former linebacker mentioning something about Brady’s potential retirement, which could’ve set him off.
Ninkovitch played with Brady and the Patriots from 2009-16, winning a pair of Super Bowl rings. Apparently, those accomplishments go out the window when you criticize the quarterback.
Tom Brady Gets Fired Up Over Retirement Question
Tom Brady is evidently getting very fed up with the constant retirement questions. He got pretty heated when talking with Jim Gray on the Let’s Go! podcast on SiriusXM.
Gray asked Brady if he knew what he’d be doing for the 2023 season. The 23-year veteran got fired up in his response.
“If I knew what I was going to f—ing do I would’ve already f—ing done it,” Brady said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “I’m taking it a day at a time. I appreciate you asking. Thank you.”
Brady led the Buccaneers to a NFC South title, though the team finished with just an 8-9 record. He plans to take his time before making a final decision on his future.
