Tom Brady continues to take the high road regarding his time with the New England Patriots.
Brady's trainer, Alex Guerrero, told the Boston Herald's Karen Guregian in an article published Thursday that the quarterback might've stayed in New England had Patriots head coach Bill Belichick "evolved" in how he treated Brady over the years.
Brady later was asked about Guerrero's comments, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB again expressed appreciation for the two decades he spent alongside Belichick in New England.
"I have great respect and admiration for my time there," Brady told reporters during his weekly news conference. "I had 20 great years there -- I kinda spoke that the last 18 months. It was a great time in my life. But I'm really happy to be here. I think we've done some great things in a short period of time. I really love the teammates that I have that I'm playing with here. I love the coaches, the organization's been amazing. Again, it's just a lot of gratitude for me.
"Everyone has protective feelings and emotions as friends and family members, and that's just part of being in sports. You have a lot of people who -- because they're not out there, they want to protect, and it's a very caring, loving thing that a lot of people do. But from my standpoint, I had a great time. But really my focus has been on trying to be the best I can be for this team and trying to go out and be a winning quarterback, be a championship-level quarterback for this team and this organization because they certainly deserve it. I made a commitment to them and I want to live up to it."
Guerrero's assessment only adds more intrigue to Brady's return to Foxboro in Week 4. Same goes for Tom Brady Sr.'s claim that Belichick "wanted (Brady) out the door."
But the reality is Brady had a wildly successful run in New England that included six Super Bowl titles. And while it's fair to wonder whether Belichick should've handled the situation differently, especially with Brady still thriving at age 44, the sides have remained amicable in the public eye.
Brady and the defending Super Bowl champion Bucs will face the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday at SoFi Stadium, while Belichick and the Patriots will host the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium.
