“We got into a big thing the other day, and sorry Sadie, but it has to be said.”
Tom Brady says it was football that made him a great father in the latest installment of his new 199 newsletter.
In the newsletter, Brady compared life to an ever changing pyramid of priorities that helped shape him into the person and father he is today.
“We all have different parts of our lives. You can think of them like a pyramid,” he wrote. “At the top is yourself, and your physical, mental, and emotional health. Then there’s the relationship with your significant other or partner. Then you have your children, then your work, then your extended family, your friends, your hobbies, and finally your greater community.”
“The trick,” Brady says, “is recognizing which aspect of your life is most pressing, from moment to moment, and then learning how to prioritize what it takes to be great in that aspect when it matters, so that your actions and achievements in that area help improve all the other areas of your life instead of take away from them.”
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Brady then referred to something professional golfer Scottie Scheffler said recently at a press conference. On July 15, Scheffler opened up about working his whole life to becoming a good golfer and win championships, which he has done time and time again, only for the celebration to be a few minutes long.
“It’s like, okay, now, what are we gonna eat for dinner?” Scheffler said as he reflected. “You know, life goes on.”
But in the end, Scheffler said while the accomplishment feels good, he’s not here to inspire the next generation because “what’s the point?” he asked.
“This is not a fulfilling life,” he added, saying the most fulfilling part of his life is being a father. “I love being able to take care of my son. […] That’s why I talk about family being my priority because it really is. I’m blessed to be able to come out here and play golf, but if my golf ever started affecting my home life…that’s going to be the last day that I play out here for a living.”
“I would much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer,” Scheffler continued.
But Brady asks why does it have to be “mutually exclusive?”
The seven-time Super Bowl champion reflected on a similar interview he gave in 2005 while talking with “60 Minutes.”
“I’d won three Super Bowls in my first four years as a starter, and I was explaining to the interviewer how, when I looked at my trophies and Super Bowl rings, I found myself thinking, ‘there’s gotta be more than this…this can’t be all,’” Brady reflected, much like Scheffler.
While Brady understands being a good athlete and being a good parent are “different blocks on the pyramid, but they’re part of the same pyramid. They’re connected,” he says.
“For instance, I think part of being a great father is being a great example of doing what it takes to take care of your family,” Brady continued. “I chose to do it by playing football.”
“My dedication to the sport, the hours of practice, the moments when I was laser focused—those were times when I believe I was doing the best possible thing for my family and my kids, by prioritizing my profession and teaching, by example, what it takes to be really good at your job, what it takes to follow through on commitments, what it takes to be a great teammate; and showing them, also by example, that work is a big part of all of our lives,” Brady explained, encouraging other parents to “remember your children are watching everything.”
“They see what you do in every aspect of your life and how you do it,” he continued. “Reading bedtime stories and helping them with homework are not the only ways to be a great parent. And neither is winning Super Bowls or MVPs.”
Brady said that while “being a great football player didn’t make me a great dad,” it was “how I became a great player certainly had an impact—from showing up day in and day out, to doing whatever it took to get better, be successful, be a role model, and to provide.”
Brady is a father to three kids, Jack, 17, Ben, 15, and Vivian 12.
