Tom Brady always has been calculated when speaking with reporters. He wishes his father would take the same approach.
The elder Brady, Tom Sr., never has been shy about talking up his son to the media, much to the New England Patriots quarterback’s chagrin.
In a conversation with The Boston Globe’s Stan Grossfeld for a piece published Monday, Brady Sr. acknowledged his son tried two years ago to bar him from giving interviews.
“He’s told me, ‘Dad, please respect my privacy,’ ” said Brady Sr., who’s shared his opinions on Roger Goodell and Malcolm Butler’s benching in the past. “‘If you say something, it comes back at me.’ ”
The younger Brady discussed this unofficial media “ban” Monday morning during his weekly appearance on WEEI’s “Greg Hill Show.”
“Well, apparently he doesn’t listen, because he’s still talking to the media,” the QB said. “My dad, he’s just an amazing man. He’s very forthcoming with information, so I keep telling him, ‘Dad, of course they are going to keep calling because you keep talking.’ When he speaks, (everyone) thinks I am speaking, but I am not speaking. I said, ‘It’s hard for me to tell you anything …’ What I have learned is I just can’t tell my dad anything. He has his own opinions, and dads do what dads do.”
He added: “I love my dad. He’s an incredible man, and he’s been my role model my whole life. But he does like to talk.”
Brady’s urgings weren’t completely ignored, though. In the interview with Grossfeld, his father declined to discuss the offensive issues that have plagued the Patriots for much of this season, including spotty O-line play and diminished production from the wide receiver and tight end groups.
