Tom Brady on Why He’ll Keep Playing Football: ‘Once You Stop, You’re Done’ (Video)

“It’s f—ing going to be hard to do. But I think I can do it,” New England Patriots QB says on “Why Sports Matter” podcast finale

Tom Brady
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Tom Brady will play in his 38th NFL postseason game on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, and the 41-year-old quarterback stressed again this week that he’s not planning to retire anytime soon.

“Once you stop, you’re done. I still feel there’s things to accomplish,” New England Patriots quarterback Brady said on the Season 1 finale of the “Why Sports Matter” podcast released on Wednesday. “And I’ve had an opportunity, based on all the things that happened the last 12 years of my life, you know, to put myself in a position to achieve things that no one else has achieved.

“So I feel like I kind of have to do it … It’s f—ing going to be hard to do. But I think I can do it,” the five-time Super Bowl champion added, having previously said he hopes to play until he’s 45.

With 37-year-old Philip Rivers leading the Chargers against the Patriots in the AFC Divisional game on Sunday, the pair has a combined age of 78 – making them the oldest starting quarterbacks to ever play each other in an NFL postseason game.

Hosted by filmmaker Gotham Chopra, the “Why Sports Matters” podcast is presented by Religion of Sports, the sports media company co-founded by Chopra along with Brady and Michael Strahan. It explores the larger themes of tribalism, authenticity, leadership and more through compelling stories that illustrate how sports provide meaning, purpose and significance in people’s lives.

Having covered topics that crossover between sports and culture such as the Humboldt Broncos bus crash and the San Quentin State Prison baseball team, the podcast’s rookie season concludes with an episode focusing on the central theme of “Authenticity.”

“When I’m out on the field in front of 70,000 people, I can kind of do what I want. I can really be who I am. I get to be me, with my raw emotion and energy,” he said of being authentic. “If I want to scream at somebody, I can scream at somebody. But you don’t really see me do that any place else.”

Dubbed by many as the greatest of all time, Brady went on to reveal that football actually offers protection for him. “It allows me to be who I am in a very authentic way that’s hard for me to be when I walk off the field,” he told “Tom vs. Time” director Chopra.

“Authenticity” also spotlights amateur wrestler Jeff Guerrero, who leaves his office job at the end of the workday to moonlight as “Cannonball.”

“Why Sports Matter” is be available free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Radio.com and other on-demand audio platforms.

See the official finale episode description below.

Jeff Guerrero works a desk job during the day. At night, his alter ego “Cannonball” gets cheese graters raked across his head and wraps barbed wire around his neck as a Death Match wrestler. It’s in this transformation where he finds purpose and contentment. He may be an extreme example but it’s not that far removed from any other weekend warrior who plays or follows sports – or even other forms of expression like painting, acting, or comedy In that respect. In that respect is part of the appeal of sports that they act as a vessel to get us closer to our true, authentic selves?

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