Superstar retired-again NFL quarterback Tom Brady doesn’t give a whole lot of thought to his haters — Brady understands that sneer and loathing comes with the territory when you’re rich, famous and successful.
But if Brady did think about his haters, and wanted to really stick it to them, he just couldn’t have come up with a better plan.
First Brady beat the haters’ teams on the field — repeatedly — winning seven Super Bowls. Also: Brady married a supermodel. Egregious capstone: Brady earned hundreds of millions of dollars in salary and endorsements. Bonus: Brady insufferably defied the aging process.
Not enough to hate? Brady retired on February 1, 2022. Tearfully. Then he unretired six weeks later. Then Brady retired again on February 1, 2023. “For good,” he promised.
[Brady haters are a real species, btw. One article from last year begins: “In 23 seasons, no NFL player in NFL history has had more haters than Brady, even though the legendary quarterback has had unprecedented success.”]
But though he won’t be playing NFL football anymore — and here Brady appears determined to torment his haters like they are some second-rate Super Bowl defense — he promises he will never ever go away.
With filming wrapped on 80 For Brady, a movie starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno and Sally Field as vivacious widows who are united by — what else? — their love of Tom Brady (who also stars), Brady has said he hopes to appear in more movies. (Ugh, bemoan the haters.)
Variety then asked Brady if the world could expect him to make movies a part of his post-football career. His response was — you listening, haters? — “I would like that. I had fun.”
That’s on top of the 10-year, $350 million contract he signed to work as an NFL commentator for Fox Sports. That’s at least ten more years of Tom Brady in your face and ears on television, plus a promise to haunt movie theaters too. And your bedroom, courtesy of Netlfix.
In other words, Tom Brady has designed a really big playbook where he will be eternally with us. And to think that people said that Bill Belichick called all the plays.
