The 2022-23 NFL season has hardly gone to plan for Tom Brady and now his personal life is in the spotlight more than ever before amid reported divorce proceedings with Gisele Bündchen.
It means having a work-life balance is only more important for Brady, as he looks to right the ship at Tampa Bay as the Buccaneers aim to contend for another title.
Balancing commitments on the field with those off it was a topic of discussion for Brady when he sat down with NBA superstar Kevin Durant on his ‘Let’s Go!’ podcast.
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“I almost look at like a football season like you’re going away on deployment for the military,” he said.
“It’s like, ‘Man, here I go again.’ The reality is, you can really only be authentic to yourself. Right?
“Whatever you may say — ‘Ah, man, I want to, you know, make sure I spend a little more time doing this during the season,’ the reality is, is when it comes down to it, your competitiveness takes over and as much as you want to have this playful balance with the work balance — you’re going to end up doing exactly what you’ve always done, which is why you are who you are.”
Brady and Durant also touched on the latter’s use of social media, with the Nets superstar breaking the mould as an athlete who does not shy away from confronting fans online.
“I always enjoy talking the game of basketball,” Durant said.
“I happen to be a topic most of the time. But I’m still passionate talking about other players or situations or comparing eras. I’m just passionate about the game, so sometimes when I’m talking about me, I just happen to know the truth. It can sometimes look like I’m combative when I’m telling the truth.”
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Durant admitted “it may rub some people the wrong way” but said it is not “personal” for him and all goes back to his love of the game.
“Some people may take it personal, from me against them, but I don’t push it that way,” he added.
“It’s always about the game. I don’t take it that serious to be honest.”
In response, Brady went back to that idea of being “authentic” and how hard it can be to be yourself in the public eye.
“I think the point is everyone should be authentic to who they are,” Brady said.
“People approach it in different ways, and it just has to work for them and their personality. I definitely say things in the moment and with me my style is just to ignore as much as possible and realise most of the people in the conversation don’t have a full idea of what’s really going on.
“Certainly in football it’s a challenge because there’s so many little nuances and details — it’s a very intricate sport in terms of strategy and what you’re trying to accomplish. No one really outside of the group can really help us anyway. Basketball has a little different feel than that. It’s just up to your personalities.”
