INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Three months before Tom Brady was criticized as Fox Sports’ top NFL analyst, he received his share of barbs from comedians, former teammates and his longtime coach Sunday night during a live comedy event made for streaming on Netflix.
And it’s safe to say that after the lines and jokes Brady heard during three hours of “The Greatest Roast Ever” at the Forum, he’ll do just fine.
“It’s like a game. You follow a game plan and then see how the strategy works and then adjust on the fly,” Brady said before the event. “This is what a locker room has been like for me all these years. So I’m not used to people not making fun of me.”
Comedian Nikki Glaser, whose monologue was one of the funniest of the night, called the roast “the Super Bowl of comedians” and how the level of competition increased because everyone wanted to outdo each other.
Brady came under more attack and pressure than during a normal NFL game, as an impressive lineup of comedians, former teammates and opponents took the stage. Host Kevin Hart said before the event that no topic was off limits, and Hart went on the offensive right away with jokes about Brady’s ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen.
“Gisele gave you an ultimatum. She said you retire or we are done. When you have a chance to go 8 to 9 years and all it’s going to cost you is your wife and your kids, you gotta do what you gotta do,” Hart said, referring to Brady coming out of a brief retirement. . in 2022 for another season.
The only time Brady objected to a joke was when Jeff Ross made a reference to Patriots owner Robert Kraft and massages. In 2019, Kraft received a misdemeanor charge for paying for sex at a Florida massage parlor.
Brady went to Ross and said in his ear “don’t say that (things) again”, but it was picked up by the microphone.
Later, Kraft and former Patriots coach Bill Belichick shot together on stage after some persuasion from Hart.
Belichick was fired in January after 24 seasons with the Patriots, and much has been written about friction between the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach and owner over the past two years.
After joking about this being like a reunion and “unlike a lot of family reunions, there are some people I’m desperately trying to avoid,” Kraft praised Belichick for what the two of them accomplished.
“I want to say that this is the greatest coach in the history of football who did what no one else has done. And having Tom Brady and him was the greatest honor the good Lord gave me,” Kraft said.
It wasn’t the first drink (of alcohol) Belichick had taken. Rob Gronkowski had Belichick and Brady do a scene together after his monologue. Gronkowski celebrated by raising his glass.
Belichick appeared at the start of the roast during a pre-taped segment when he told Brady he was “starting the roast” instead of Drew Bledsoe. Brady replaced Bledsoe in 2001 when Bledsoe was injured in a Week 2 game against the Jets and led the Patriots to their first Super Bowl title that season.
“For all of you who think about who is responsible for the success of the Patriots during the time that Tom and I were together — was it Tom or me — in reality, the truth is it was both of us because of me,” Belichick said.
Brady had some fun at Belichick’s expense, albeit near the end of the show.
“I’ve been out of the game for a minute, so I’m curious, how many Super Bowl rings have you won since I’ve been out?” Brady said. “Maybe it’s not just the guy on the sideline. When I go to the Indy 500, I don’t ask the winning driver, ‘Hey, did you fill up your car?;”
Hart said before the show that he thought Brady was in a great mindset going into the event. Brady arrived well prepared, going over his monologue with a group of people, including those from Fox Sports.
“You have to be able to laugh at yourself, and I love what he’s doing in this forum,” Hart said. “I love that he’s embracing the things that some people think he runs away from. It’s a celebration of greatness and we’re doing it in a fun way.”
Bledsoe also said that Brady had a sense of humor, but that this was a different phase.
“I thought he was very brave. There’s a lot of material to make fun of,” Bledsoe said. “The truth is, when you’re a professional athlete, criticizing each other is what we do every day in the locker room. And then, you better have thick skin. Now, people can laugh along with it.
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