Tom Brady says 'it's a challenge to be a good parent,' months after Netflix roast affected his kids

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FOX NFL studio analyst Rob Gronkowski gives advice to former teammate Tom Brady about his debut as an NFL analyst and highlights his campaign to give back to small-town football teams.

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. 

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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)

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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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