Tom Brady Says He ‘Wouldn't Choose' for His 15-Year-Old Son to Play Football

Tom Brady says he's not hoping for his eldest son to follow in his footsteps and play professional football.

Brady appeared on ESPN’s “NFL Live” June 2, where he opened up about his hopes — and concerns — for his 15-year-old son, Jack, when it comes to the sport.

“I hope he finds the things in his life that allow him to get up every day to be internally motivated to work hard at something he loves to do,” he said.

Brady revealed last year that Jack was playing high school football in the position of free safety and occasionally, quarterback. But continuing to play comes with pressure, he said.

“I wouldn’t choose for him to (play football), because there’s too many crazy expectations that people would put on him, most of them probably very unfair, actually," he said.

Brady, who officially retired in February after 23 seasons in the NFL, said that he’d be proud of “whatever path” his three children — Jack, Benjamin, 13, and Vivian, 10 — take.

“Whatever they choose, I’m there to support them just like my dad supported me," he said.

The former NFL star acknowledged that he was personally “very lucky” to find something he "loved to do." He also thanked his parents for supporting his career by bringing him to football camps and training sessions.

“I think that’s what we as parents should do,” he said. “We should support our children’s dreams whatever they may be. It doesn’t need to be sports ... I think that's part of being a parent, is supporting your kids’ dreams, and now that I’ve got more time on my hands, I’m very much looking forward to doing that as well.”

Speaking to TODAY.com in May, Brady acknowledged that people have “a lot of expectations” of his three children because of who their parents are.

Brady shares Jack with his former partner Bridget Moynahan and Benjamin and Vivian with his ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen.

“Our children have unique challenges (that are) different from ones I had growing up,” he explained. “There are a lot of expectations because of who their mom or their dad is, and it’s not necessarily fair to them because they didn’t choose that.”

Brady also emphasized wanting his children to lead a normal life like their peers.

“They’re just normal kids trying to develop their own relationships with their friends, go to school and learn and grow,” he said. “Because of who our kids are (people say), ‘You should be good at this’ or ‘You should look like that’ but that’s not the case. Everyone is an individual.”

As for what he hopes for as a parent?

“That they find something they love to do and a great group of friends who love them for who they are," Brady said.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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