Earlier in the week, former star quarterback Tom Brady complained to Stephen A. Smith about the “mediocrity” he has witnessed throughout the NFL since his retirement. Brady noted that defenders are struggling to keep up due to rule changes.
This comment from Brady sparked some angry responses amongst fans and former players. Most notably, former quarterback Alex Smith, who played at the same time as Brady, released a comment challenging Brady's opinion on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown.
"He hasn't been retired that long. He was just playing," Smith said. "He just won a Super Bowl in the current game. Is he discounting that one?"
Smith was not afraid to speak his mind in relation to Brady's comment. Brady spent the majority of his wildly successful career with the New England Patriots, who won 17 AFC East titles in his 19 seasons with the team. Smith mentioned that while Brady was quarterback for the Patriots, the division barely sparked any competition for New England, throwing shade towards Brady's criticism.
"He played in the most uncompetitive division, I think, in NFL history," Smith said. "You come out of training camp in the biggest cupcake division. You got a ticket to the playoffs right away. Talk about mediocre."
Sitting next to Smith in the studio were former New England Patriots players Randy Moss and Tedy Bruschi, who had their fair share of wins with Brady as their quarterback. Smith made it clear that he did not intentionally mean to disrespect his fellow coworkers.
More must-reads: