Tom Brady didn’t hold back when mocking Bill Belichick, the New York Jets and Eli Manning before delivering a rousing commencement speech to students on Saturday.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner gave the commencement speech at Georgetown University’s business school and spoke to students about overcoming adversity.
But Brady didn’t hold back on the key figures that defined his iconic football career, namely Belichick. The pair won six Super Bowls together with the New England Patriots but famously clashed a number of time across the 20 seasons they shared.
After being showered with compliments by those who spoke before he took the stage, Brady managed to get in his first swipe at Belichick.
‘I don’t do well with compliments,’ Brady said. ‘I had a coach for 20 years tell me how s****y I was every day.’
Then he took aim at the Jets, the Patriots’ AFC East rivals, by saying he was ‘grateful’ to be with the graduates and their families, ‘even the ones who are Jets fans.’
Tom Brady gave the commencement speech at Georgetown University’s business school
Brady included a few digs at Bill Belichick, his former coach with the New England Patriots
‘Sitting here looking out at this crowd of amazing business majors, I realized something – sports was a very strange way to make a living,’ Brady continued.
‘People screamed at me all the time, they gambled on my performance, and they celebrated all my failures.
‘One way that sports is a lot like business, though, is that when you do it long enough, your life gets defined by numbers.
‘Twenty-three, that was the number of pro seasons I played. Seven, those were my Super Bowl wins. Three, those were the Super Bowl losses. Damn it, Eli Manning,’ Brady then quipped.
The bulk of Brady’s speech revolved around the Patriots’ miraculous Super Bowl comeback in 2017 when they overturned a 28–3 deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons, who had a 99.7 per cent of winning at one stage.
‘Not exactly how I thought the way things would go when I woke up that morning,’ Brady went on to say.
‘But you know what? It happens sometimes. You guys are going to see that. You’re going to think you’re better than your competition, you’re going to work really hard and it’s still not going to go the way you want. You’re going to find yourself on the short end of that 99.7 per cent wondering just how the hell you got there.
‘Overcoming fear and doubt in the face of those challenges is where you’re going to gain the confidence to make your best choices when things aren’t going the way you want.
Most of Brady’s speech revolved around the Patriots’ stunning Super Bowl comeback in 2017
‘When the odds are stacked against you, when you’re facing your own 28-3 moment, and believe me it’s coming, you have a choice to make: to quit or to fight your a** off.
‘The choice seems pretty obvious, and it’s easier said than done. I mean, why spend all that energy fighting when it’s virtually certain you’ll lose? Why not quit and live to fight another day? Well, sometimes, there isn’t another day.
‘Super Bowl LI, there was no other day… You may only get one chance to impress your boss or land a promotion, or to close a deal or not. So what, then? You better have prepared yourself in advance – to deal with the adversity you’re going to deal with in order to give yourself the best chance to succeed.
‘Down by 25 in the biggest game of my life, do you think I just stumbled randomly into my decision to keep on fighting? The previous 25 years of my life had prepared me for that moment.
‘I said to myself, “Don’t be a little b****. Go out there and fight your a** off. Whether you win or lose, fight to the end.” At that moment, we had no idea what the outcome of the game would be, but the one thing I’ve learned through sports is the only time you’re sure to lose is when you quit.
‘The odds are your 28-3 moment won’t end in a trophy or a parade. It may not even end in victory. It almost didn’t for us. But that’s not really the point.
‘These are all just momentary tests where failure isn’t final, only quitting is. The choice to fight is an opportunity to succeed, yes, but it’s also your chance to grow and show everyone that while you may be beatable, you are unbreakable…
‘The only thing worse than losing the biggest game of your life is losing respect for yourself along the way.’
Brady will finally call a Patriots game later this year when his former team takes on the Packers
Brady couldn’t resist one final dig at Belichick, who is now coaching the University of North Carolina, at the end of his speech.
He urged the students to surround themselves with people who help them to thrive, ‘even if one of those people is a cranky old coach who cuts the sleeves off their sweatshirt and screams at you all day.’
Brady found out on Thursday night that he will finally call a Patriots game later this year when his former team takes on the Green Bay Packers live on Fox.
The legendary quarterback is gearing up for the third year of his decade-long, $375m contract with Fox, having ventured into broadcasting 18 months after calling time on his storied career.
One of the only things missing from Brady’s first two seasons in the commentary booth was a Patriots reunion, but that will change in the 2026 campaign.
Fox will be broadcasting New England’s Week 9 showdown with Green Bay at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, meaning their most iconic player will be analyzing them in the commentary booth.
