Last year Tom Brady had a fabulous Christmas. He celebrated the holiday on the slopes, spending quality time with daughter Vivian Lake, 12, and sons Benjamin, 15, and Jack, 17. The family shared photos of their festive celebrations, from a group selfie as they skied together to a shot showing them working on decorating their Christmas tree. “Merry Christmas 🎄✨,” Brady captioned the family selfie. But hey, wasn’t it possible just because Brady had retired by that time? Just take a look at the year before.

In 2022, Brady came out of retirement, just 40 days after bidding goodbye to the sport. That year, in October, Brady ended his 13-year marriage with supermodel Gisele Bündchen, and Brady resuming his NFL career reportedly contributed to that. Despite that turmoil, the then-Buccaneers spent Christmas on the road in Arizona. The Buccaneers defeated the Cardinals in overtime. “I’m gonna learn how to deal with Christmas Eve in a hotel, and I’m gonna have to learn how to deal with Christmas and Christmas night and still go out there and be a professional,” Brady had said.

Well, it is not without such sacrifices that one builds a career that spans 23 seasons and is decorated with seven Super Bowl rings. No wonder, Brady believes that is what makes one not only better but the best. In a recent conversation, Brady did not mince words to convey that.

Recently, Brady appeared on the podcast Let’s Go! With Bill Belichick, Maxx Crosby, and Jim Gray where he shared a similar perspective. As the holiday season unfolds and the NFL playoffs draw near, the seven-time Super Bowl champion shared an opinion that’s bound to leave an impression. He said, “I think as an athlete, this is the time where you’ve got to improve. This is the time you should be able to separate yourself. You can’t think that, and a lot of guys want to go.”

The former Patriots superstar elaborated, explaining how a player’s mindset can waver during the festive season. Brady continued, “Your body fights you every day. It’s saying, ‘Hey man, it’s been a long year, chill out, it’s hard, you need more sleep, it’s colder, and you’ve got family and holidays. Hey, do a little less—we’ve got this going’.” After delivering this pointed take, Brady emphasized why maintaining such a work ethic is crucial.

“And to me, this is like, this is actually when you can make bigger jumps because the opponents are doing less. So, if you do a little more, you can actually separate the gap even more,” Brady added. Indeed, his illustrious career lends plenty of credibility to these words. Actually, a few hours ago, Patrick Mahomes said something similar when he was asked about the Chiefs‘ game against the Steelers.

He replied that the Chiefs are fully focused on the game and are approaching the Christmas matchup as if it were any other. Brady wants the same from NFL players. Interestingly, on an earlier occasion, Mahomes, and even his mother Randi had spoken about prioritizing family, even at the cost of the NFL career. And guess what? They drew a Tom Brady reference to that.

In June Randi appeared in an episode of ‘The Mom Game Podcast’ where she made a shocking revelation about the retirement of the Grim Reaper, who is on a quest to a record-breaking 3-peat of Super Bowls. Randi said, “I hear him, you know, make comments like, If the game takes away from my kids, I might not play as long as Tom Brady, and I’m like, I’m so proud of him for that.” Yes, Mahomes does think that. Here is what he had to say about it.

“I’ve looked. If I played until Tom’s age, my daughter would be 19, 20 years old. That would mean missing plenty of youth sporting events and other commitments,” Mahomes, whom many project to become the ‘Greatest of All Time’ (GOAT), had said. While he definitely wanted to chase that greatness, Mahomes had also added, “At the same time, I want to be there for my daughter. If I can do that, I’ll continue to play. But if I feel like it’s taking away from my family time, that’s when I’ll know it’s time to go.” While Mahomes missed his family this Christmas because of his NFL commitments, Brady also was 181 miles away from his home, but probably not out of compulsion.

Tom Brady finds vacation escape in the Bahamas amid commentary criticism

The sportscaster recently celebrated the holidays away from his Miami home. Stunning Instagram photos captured the beauty of the Bahamas, where Brady enjoyed a fantastic getaway. He even shared a shirtless picture of himself, accompanied by Morgan Wallen’s ‘Hope That’s True’.

Besides this, one of his IG stories also featured classy snaps of the beach. “Fore righhhttt,” he humorously mentioned in his post caption. Additionally, Brady also showcased his excitement by sharing a picture of the tempting snacks kept in the supermarket. “So many choices, so little time,” he added in his IG story post caption. Interestingly, this came shortly after the backlash he received for poor commentary during the Ravens vs. Steelers game.

First, Brady mistakenly referred to Steelers running back Najee Harris as Najeh Davenport. While the latter has played the position for the team, he has not done so since 2008. In a further embarrassment, while breaking down a second-quarter touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman, Brady said that Lamar [Jackson] caught the touchdown pass before correcting himself immediately.

“This is Cory Trice at the corner,” Brady said. “The second-year player who hasn’t had much playing experience. They run a high-low concept and he just takes the cheese up here on Likely and exposes the safety to this easy throw here to Lamar.” Looking at that, The Athletics’s Andrew Marchand Slammed Brady as he wrote on his X, “Brady regressed this week. No extra insight all day. He said ‘chunks’ a thousand times.” Marchand was not alone in this.

“Tom Brady replacing Greg Olsen in the booth is like Mac Jones replacing Brady in New England,” said USA Today’s Safid Deen. “If FOX does not discharge Brady after this season, some respect will be lost,” former MLB writer Jed Weisberger wrote. “He is absolutely horrendous as an analyst and has no ability to do this job.” Notably, Brady is on a 10-year, $375 million deal with FOX.

Earlier in the season, he also faced criticism for calling the Ravens’ season “frustrating.” However, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson responded to Brady with optimism, saying, “The season has just started—there’s room for improvement.” At the end of the day, Brady’s work ethic and mindset remind why he’s one of the greatest to ever play the game. Whether he’s grinding on the field or taking heat for his off-field moves, Brady keeps it real and focused on what matters most—always staying a step ahead. And honestly, isn’t that what legends are all about?