Tom Brady is a big believer in contact sports in general and football in particular, not just as an athlete but as a parent.
Asked by Howard Stern if he would allow his two sons to play football, Brady answered “Absolutely.” He then said he thinks contact sports are beneficial to children’s development.
“I think there’s something about contact sports that teaches you a lot about discipline, respect, mutual respect for your opponent, that you don’t get in non-contact sports,” Brady said. “If your body is taking a physical toll and punishment, you’ve got to respect your body because that’s your insulation, that’s your asset. You have to have even more respect for your body. Boxers, for example, MMA, wrestling, the contact sports are the ones where I think you learn the most discipline. Because you can’t perform unless you take great care of your body.”
Brady said that if he has any hesitation about his sons playing football, it’s only because he wouldn’t want them to feel pressured to follow in his footsteps.
“I would never want for them to be ‘Tom Brady’s son’ playing football,” Brady said.
But as far as any concerns about injuries, Brady says the greater concern is that they’d miss out on the lessons that contact sports can teach.