Brady apologizes for comparing season to military deployment

Tom Brady (12) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prepares to handoff the ball during the first half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA on October 16, 2022. Michael Longo/For USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tom Brady apologizes for comparing football season to military deployment: 'It was a very poor choice of words'

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 10/20/22

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady apologized on Thursday for a "very poor choice of words" that saw him compare leaving for football season to going away on a military deployment.

Brady made the initial comments on his "Let's Go" podcast with Jim Gray and Kevin Durant, while talking about struggling to find the work-life balance this season.

On Thursday, he opened his weekly press conference by apologizing for the comparison.

Tom Brady opens his weekly presser by apologizing for comparing a football season to military deployment, calling it a poor choice of words. pic.twitter.com/tgmNcCQy1O
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 20, 2022

This probably should have been expected because any sports-military comparison is not going to be well received. Brady's comparison was no different.

The 45-year-old Brady returned for his 23rd NFL season after briefly flirting with retirement in the offseason, and it has been a very challenging year for him on and off the field. He had an especially bad game on Sunday in Tampa Bay's 20-18 loss to a Pittsburgh Steelers team that was missing five starters on defense. It came after Brady missed the team's Saturday walkthrough and meetings so he could attend the weekend wedding of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

All of it has resulted in speculation that Brady might end up walking away from the Buccaneers and his NFL career before the conclusion of the 2022 season. The Buccaneers are currently tied for first place in the NFC South with a 3-3 record. They visit the 1-5 Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.

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