Sports
Tom Brady says 'it's a challenge to be a good parent,' months after Netflix roast affected his kids
Tom Brady made winning the Super Bowl look easy at times. Now he’s facing the pressures of ever-evolving parenthood. Even for the most accomplished player in NFL history, being a dad is still “challenging,” he admits.
“And all the parents out there know that it’s a challenge to be a good parent,” Brady said during an interview with Stephen A. Smith at Fanatics Fest NYC Friday. “I got a lot of things that keep me busy, but still trying to be a great dad and be there for my kids.”
Brady shared that he often doesn’t hear from his 14-year-old son Benjamin, 16-year-old son Jack or 11-year-old daughter Vivian unless they want something.
“Every time they call me I know there is a request because when they don’t call, I don’t hear from them. And when I don’t hear from them, I know they don’t want anything,” he said.
Tom Brady in his final NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys in an NFC wild-card playoff game at Raymond James Stadium Jan. 16, 2023, in Tampa, Fla. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
One bright spot for Brady in seeing his kids grow up is that they have become more understanding of why he’s spent so much time away from the family throughout his career. Brady played in the NFL from 2000 to 2022.
Now, after a year away from the game, Brady will take over as the top color commentator for the NFL on FOX this season.
“They begin to appreciate …. as they get older and start to have the responsibilities of an adult,” Brady said. “When you’re working hard to be a dad and also provide for the family, that does come with being away a bit and being really focused on my job.”
Brady’s career, and his time away from family, was famously and unexpectedly extended in 2022, and it preceded his divorce. In January of that year, Brady said on his Sirius XM podcast “Let’s Go!” that taking hits on the field at that point wasn’t ideal for him or his marriage to Gisele Bündchen.
Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates with Gisele Bündchen after winning the Super Bowl at Raymond James Stadium Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
“My wife is my biggest supporter. It pains her to see me get hit out there. She deserves what she needs from me as a husband, and my kids deserve what they need from me as a dad,” Brady told host Jim Gray at the time. “We think we’re going to live forever. We’re not. We think we’re going to play forever. We’re not.”
Then, just 40 days after announcing his retirement in February that year, he revealed he was returning for another season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bündchen, the mother of two of his three kids, filed for divorce later that year.
TOM BRADY’S ROAST HAS ‘AFFECTED’ HIS CHILDREN, ‘DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED’ GISELE BÜNDCHEN: REPORT
Brady’s divorce from Bündchen was the subject of a highly personal roast on Netflix in May. The special included jokes by comedians Nikki Glaser and Kevin Hart about Brady’s divorce from Bündchen that touched on her rumored affair with her jujitsu teacher while she and Brady were still married.
Nikki Glaser roasts Tom Brady. (Getty Images)
Brady later said the event affected his children, and he doesn’t plan on doing another roast.
“I didn’t like the way that it affected my kids,” Brady told former NFL players Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder on the “Pivot Podcast” May 15.
“So, it’s the hardest part about the bittersweet aspect of when you do something that you think is one way, and then, all of a sudden, you realize I wouldn’t do that again because of the way it affected the people that I care about the most. … Like I said, when I signed up for that, I love when people were making fun of me.”
Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady stands with daughter Vivian during a ceremony honoring Brady at halftime of New England’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium Sept. 10, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Brady did not specify which jokes affected his children.
Benajmin and Vivian were born to Bündchen. Jack, who’s full name is John “Jack” Edward Thomas Moynahan, is Brady’s son from a previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynahan.
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The Seattle Seahawks locked down the top seed in the NFC playoffs and a strong path to the Super Bowl on Saturday night with a season finale win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Seattle also finished with their best regular season record in franchise history, clinching 14 wins for the first time ever.
The Seahawks held on to a 10-point victory despite outgaining the 49ers 363 yards to 173, and running 64 plays to San Francisco’s 42.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba #11 of the Seattle Seahawks fails to catch the ball against Ji’Ayir Brown #27 of the San Francisco 49ers during an NFL game on Jan. 3, 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. (Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire)
Seattle missed a field goal in the fourth quarter and turned the ball over on downs in the first quarter to waste two red zone drives, but dominated on defense to prevent those missed opportunities from coming back to haunt them.
The 49ers wasted their best drive of the night as well when quarterback Brock Purdy was intercepted at Seattle’s three-yard line in the fourth quarter facing a 10-point deficit, which seemingly secured the game for the Seahawks.
NFL WEEK 17 SCORES: AFC NORTH, NFC SOUTH UP FOR GRABS AS PLAYOFF PICTURE ALMOST COMPLETE
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, in his first season on the team, completed 20 passes on 26 attempts for 198 yards and helped set up the only touchdown of the entire game in the first quarter.
Darnold redeemed a disappointing Week-18 game for the Minnesota Vikings last season when he completed just 18 of 41 passes for 166 yards in a battle for the top seed against the Detroit Lions.
Darnold said “Learning from mistakes, and staying calm from the pocket,” made the difference in his performance Saturday compared to a year ago, in a postgame interview with ESPN.
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Jaxon Smith-Njigba #11 of the Seattle Seahawks carries the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the second quarter of a game at Levi’s Stadium on January 03, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had just 127 yards with the late interception, and took a big hit on his final pass of the night, then took a while to get back up. He was eventually able to walk off the field, and Seattle ran the clock out.
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When it’s Harvey Kitani versus David Rebibo in a high school basketball coaching matchup, you know it’s going to be a defensive grind. They demand defensive production, so Rolling Hills Prep and Harvard-Westlake went at it for 32 minutes on Saturday night at St. Francis.
It took four consecutive free throws by Joe Sterling in the final 21 seconds for Harvard-Westlake (17-2) to hold on for a 50-46 victory. About the only mistake Rolling Hills Prep (13-5) made was choosing to foul Sterling, well known as a clutch free-throw shooter. But the Huskies had no choice after a three by Aaron Heinze got them to within 48-46 with 2.6 seconds left.
Sterling finished with 16 points. Pierce Thompson had 14 points and Dominique Bentho added 11 points and 12 rebounds. Nick Welch Jr. had a big game for Rolling Hills Prep with 21 points on eight-for-14 shooting. Carter Fulton added 10 points.
Santa Margarita 72, Fairfax 41: The Eagles (19-2) opened a 21-2 lead after the first quarter and cruised to victory at St. Francis. Brayden Kyman scored 21 points, Kaiden Bailey had 17 and Drew Anderson had 15.
St. Pius X-St. Matthias 67, JSerra 62: Kayleb Kearse finished with 27 points in the victory. Jaden Bailes had 30 points for JSerra.
Sierra Canyon 77, Phoenix St. Mary’s 45: The Trailblazers (13-1) tuned up for the start of Mission League play with a rout in Arizona. Brandon McCoy scored 18 points and Brannon Martinsen had 17.
Chaminade 70, Palos Verdes 44: Temi Olafisoye had 17 points for the 18-1 Eagles.
Thousand Oaks 53, Oak Park 46: The Lancers won their 16th consecutive game to stay unbeaten. Gabriel Chin had 14 points.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 67, Layton Christian (Utah) 64: NaVorro Bowman led the Knights (13-4) with 24 points. Josiah Nance added 16 points.
Bishop Montgomery 71, Palisades 68: Austin Kirksey had 24 points and Tarron Williams scored 22 points to help Bishop Montgomery improve to 15-2. Freshman Phillip Reed scored 24 points for Palisades.
Crespi 60, Modesto Christian 49: The Celts improved to 13-6.
St. John Bosco 62, Chandler (Ariz.) Basha 54: Christian Collins scored 31 points and Max Ellis had 22 for the Braves in a win in Arizona.
Mayfair 69, Cypress 56: Josiah Johnson’s 27 points helped Mayfair improve to 8-5.
Inglewood 98, Pasadena 97: Jason Crowe Jr. made the game-winning shot in overtime and finished with 51 points for Inglewood.
Girls basketball
Harvard-Westlake 51, Phoenix Desert Vista 39: Freshman Lucia Khamenia finished with 24 points for Harvard-Westlake.
Brentwood 59, Cardinal Newman 53: The Eagles improved to 9-4. Kelsey Sugar scored 24 points.
Saugus 57, Birmingham 52: Kayla Tanijiri had 16 points for Birmingham (13-3).
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Only one more week of the 2025 NFL regular season remains, as Week 17 brought about some more playoff implications and even 2026 NFL Draft key positions.
The biggest takeaway from the slate of Week 17 is that two divisions in the NFL — the AFC North and NFC South — will be determined by whoever wins key matchups in Week 18.
First, it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers getting upset by the Cleveland Browns at home, as Aaron Rodgers couldn’t find Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a controversial game-ending play in the end zone. That loss sets up the AFC North title game between the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, which is only possibly thanks to a road victory where Derrick Henry scored four touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers.
Then, despite both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers losing their respective matchups, the NFL tiebreakers make their Week 18 bout the NFC South title game.
Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts during the second quarter of the game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
And while everyone was focused on the NFL playoff picture, the two-game 4 o’clock slate gave us the New York Giants against the Las Vegas Raiders, the winner of which owning the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
The Giants would’ve solidified the pick with a loss, but Jaxson Dart and the Giants’ offense blew out Geno Smith and the Raiders to relinquish the pick, which now belongs in Sin City.
NFL WEEK 16 SCORES: PLAYOFF PRESSURE LEADS TO THRILLING FINISHES ACROSS LEAGUE
Here’s how every NFL game played out:
THURSDAY, DEC. 25
– DALLAS COWBOYS 30, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS 23
– MINNESOTA VIKINGS 23, DETROIT LIONS 10
– DENVER BRONCOS 20, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 13
Dak Prescott (4) of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates after his team’s touchdown against the Washington Commanders in the second quarter of a game at Northwest Stadium on Dec. 25, 2025 in Landover, Maryland. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
SATURDAY, DEC. 27
– HOUSTON TEXANS 20, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 16
– BALTIMORE RAVENS 41, GREEN BAY PACKERS 24
SUNDAY, DEC. 28
– CINCINNATI BENGALS 37, ARIZONA CARDINALS 14
– CLEVELAND BROWNS 13, PITTSBURGH STEELERS 7
– NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 34, TENNESSEE TITANS 26
– JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 23, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 17
– MIAMI DOLPHINS 20, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 17
– NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 42, NEW YORK JETS 10
– SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 27, CAROLINA PANTHERS 10
– NEW YORK GIANTS 34, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS 10
– PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 13, BUFFALO BILLS 12
– SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS-CHICAGO BEARS (TBD)
Bundle FOX One and FOX Nation to stream the entire FOX Nation library, plus live FOX News, Sports, and Entertainment at our lowest price of the year. The offer ends on Jan. 4, 2026. (Fox One; Fox Nation)
MONDAY, DEC. 29
– LOS ANGELES RAMS-ATLANTA FALCONS (TBD)
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