Tom Brady Says 'Last Year Kind of Sucked,' But Confirms He Will Play in 2018 (Video)

Relax, New England Patriots fans — Tom Brady will be back next season.

The five-time Super Bowl champion was one of the many high-profile guests at the Milken Institute Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Monday, where he was interviewed by sportscaster Jim Gray.

To kick off the conversation, Gray, who regularly interviews Brady on Westwood One radio, asked: “Are we going to be cliche-ridden namby-pamby bull—t, or are we going to light it up?”

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The tone of the conversation was the latter, as Brady replied: “I think keeping it real and being authentic is the best way.”

The most important question, of course, was will the 40-year-old QB be playing next season?

“There’s been a tremendous amount of speculation and confusion that you’re not going to play,” Gray said. “Are you going to play in 2018, has anything changed in that interview that we did on Super Bowl Sunday?” [when Brady said he’d be back.]

After a bit of wordplay and a few laughs, Brady confirmed, “Yes, I’m going to be playing. Yes, I will be. I have personal goals and I want to keep playing. I’ve said for a long time that I want to play until my mid-40s. I was told three years ago when I was 36 or 37, ‘you can’t keep playing … why would you keep playing? You’re not going to win a Super Bowl.’

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“That’s a great challenge for me, I think I’ve been challenged my whole life. I feel like I can do it. I feel like I’ve learned a lot over the years — like the evolution of my routine and how efficient I am. I have a great plan and system in place,” he continued. “I love making the commitment; I love working hard and I want to do it as long as I can to inspire other people who don’t think they can do it or were told that they can’t do it.”

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Earlier in the panel titled “Lord of the Rings: A Conversation With Five-Time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady,” TB12 described the grind of his long career as he heads into his 19th season.

“You’re climbing mountains every week, and every season and every year — it’s hard to get to the top. It takes every bit of energy you have, every bit of determination you have.

“A couple of years ago it ended the perfect way, and last year kind of sucked … but that’s sports,” Brady said.

When asked if he had recovered from the 41-33 Super Bowl loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, Brady replied: “After this season, I finished the game. I am walking to the locker room and I had my wife there and three kids … they were crying, and I thought, ‘I can’t be crying.’ I said, ‘This is sports, Daddy doesn’t always win.”

“Would I rather win? Of course, but I am also playing to get the best out of myself,” he added.

Brady was also quizzed by Gray as to why cornerback Malcolm Butler didn’t play in Super Bowl LII, at which point he was slightly stumped saying: “I don’t make those decisions … I wish he had played, but the coach decided not to play him,” adding that he didn’t ask why Butler was benched. “That’s probably a better question for the guy who owns our team … I can only do my job the best that I can.”

Butler, who was the hero of Super Bowl XLIX in 2014 against the Seattle Seahawks, has since been traded to the Tennessee Titans.

Also Read: Tom Brady Details Battle With Age in Revealing 'Tom vs Time' Docu-Series (Video)

Gray went on to reference a comment made by Brady’s wife, Gisele Bündchen, in Gotham Chopra’s “Tom vs. Time” docu-series, when she said she just wanted her husband to be happy.

“I have my moments,” he replied, confirming that he is happy with the people he works with despite reports of divisions within the Pats franchise. “I am a very happy person. I am a very positive person … but it is just my personality, I always look at things like the glass is half full.

“There are no people I’d rather play for or be committed to than the team I’ve been with for a long time,” he added.

Watch the video above, and click here for the full interview.

The Milken Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank determined to increase global prosperity by advancing collaborative solutions that widen access to capital, create jobs and improve health, through independent, data-driven research, action-oriented meetings, and meaningful policy initiatives.

20 Famous New England Patriots Fans, From Ben Affleck to Mark Wahlberg (Photos)

Super Bowl LIII, the big number 53, is upon us, and fans all over the country will tune in to see the New England Patriots take on the Los Angeles Rams. If you're rooting for the Patriots this weekend, here's a rundown of the good, famous company you'll be in when you do. And if you're a Rams fan, here's a quick celebrity enemies list so you can rub it in their faces on Twitter.
Gisele Bündchen

It’d be a lot more interesting if the Brazilian supermodel who had also married Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady in fact was not a Patriots fan. Unfortunately, and predictably, she is.
Mark Wahlberg

It’s crazy obvious, right? Everyone knows about Marky Mark’s Boston background. Wahlberg shows up for plenty of games, sitting on the sidelines or hanging out with Patriots owner Robert Kraft. He's also pals with Tom Brady, who appeared on Wahlberg's show "Entourage."
Ben Affleck

Let’s keep right on going with “Famous Massachusetts natives who do that accent in movies.” Batfleck, who was born in California but grew up in Cambridge, Mass., somewhat angrily defended Tom Brady over that whole “Deflategate” scandal. He takes the Patriots pretty seriously.
Matt Damon

Matt “How do you like them apples” Damon is also a Massachusetts native, and a big-time Patriots guy. He also talked about Deflategate on TV like Affleck, but with a bit more chill. Still, Damon’s known to wear Pats gear, hang out at games, and get photographed wearing Super Bowl rings.
Lea Michele

Although she's a New Yorker, singer and star of "Scream Queens" and "Glee" Lea Michele has said she's always been a Patriots fan. Tom Brady might have something to do with it, as might the team's many championship wins.
Aly Raisman

The Olympic gymnast and gold medalist is Boston born and raised. On Jan. 20, Raisman tweeted her support when the Patriots beat the Kansas City Chiefs to make it to the Super Bowl. "Gooooooo Pats!!!! Unbelievable. #BOSTON #GOAT" she wrote.
Elton John

The Patriots' logo might call up images of the Colonies' revolt against the crown, but England-born Sir Elton doesn’t let it keep him from cheering for the Pats. John is friends with owner Robert Kraft, and in 2009 when the Pats played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at London’s Wembley Stadium, the Patriots made him honorary team captain.
Elizabeth Banks

Another native of Massachusetts, Banks watched her Patriots defeat the Seahawks in Super Bowl 49 from the celebrity box at University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona. You can often track her thoughts on the Patriots on Twitter, where she regularly tweets during games.
Kofi Kingston

WWE star and New Day tag team member Kingston was born in Ghana, but moved to Boston in his youth. He’s a big Patriots fan, and he told Patriots.com he gets up to some football-themed trash-talking during the season. That might be a change of pace from the regular trash-talking wrestlers get up to all the time.
Paul Pierce

Former Los Angeles Clippers forward Pierce started his NBA career with the Boston Celtics. He’s still part of the Patriots Nation, and took to Twitter to show off the Patriots gear he was sporting during the AFC Championship game in January 2017.
Steven Tyler

Aerosmith is a Boston band, and Steven Tyler is a Patriots fan. The singer has performed a couple of national anthems at Patriots games, in 1999 and again at the 2012 AFC Championship game, where he famously wore a sparkly Patriots scarf.
Maria Menounos

Former "Extra" host Menounos is a well-known Patriots fan. Her dedication sometimes costs, though: She lost a bet on the Pats with "Extra" correspondent AJ Calloway when the New York Giants defeated them in Super Bowl 46. The punishment was appearing on TV in a Giants bikini.
Conan O’Brien

Conan’s from Boston, and he attended Harvard. After four Super Bowl wins, Conan finally declared himself a Patriots fan in a video for the NFL in the run up to Super Bowl 49. He’s actually a lifelong fan of the team, and before Super Bowl 51 pitted the Falcons against the Pats on his show — playing video games.
Chris Evans

Yup, Captain America is, somewhat fittingly at least from a branding standpoint, a Patriots fan. Evans, a Boston native, famously made a bet with fellow Marvel alumnus Chris Pratt when Evans’ Patriots took on Pratt’s Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 49. Loser had to visit a children’s charity in the winner’s city dressed in their Marvel universe costume. Evans won, but both visited kids at Boston’s Christopher’s Haven, a charity for kids battling cancer.
Michael Chiklis

Last year, "The Shield" and "Gotham" actor Chiklis introduced a new member of his family: Tom Brady. That was the name he gave his new pug, just in time for the 2017 Super Bowl.
Jon Bon Jovi

Though he's from New Jersey, Bon Jovi has grown to become something of a Patriots superfan over the years. He even gave the team permission to use his band's song, "This Is Our House," during games.
Julie Chen Moonves

Though she'd rather watch the games from the comfort of her own home, Chen admits to a personal connection to the Patriots. "I'm a big Tom Brady fan. Robert Kraft is a personal friend of ours -- so there's also that, you know. I have to be honest."
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John Krasinski

Although Jim Halpert may have been an Eagles fan, this Boston native bleeds red, white and blue. "It's fun to be from a place that has so much and legendary sort of sports stories to tell my daughter one day very soon." He even appeared alongside Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Chris Evans in a Jimmy Kimmel skit lampooning Deflate-gate.
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Mindy Kaling

This "Office" and "Mindy Project" alum let her support be known after the Patriots defeated the Jaguars in the AFC Championship. "Very excited people in this household regarding the outcome of the football game @Patriots #SuperBowl."
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John Cena

Cena was bummed that his busy WWE schedule kept him from staying in Houston for Super Bowl LI. "The fact that the Patriots are consistently great, amidst all the controversy...they just always play really well. They're a down-to-business team. Not a lot of flash, not a lot of flare. The Belichick postgame press conference pretty much says it all. I like that, because the rest of the league hates it."
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If you want to see what stars will be rooting against the Patriots, check out this gallery of A-list Rams fans.

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Batman and Captain America are among those cheering on The Pats this Sunday at Super Bowl LIII

Super Bowl LIII, the big number 53, is upon us, and fans all over the country will tune in to see the New England Patriots take on the Los Angeles Rams. If you're rooting for the Patriots this weekend, here's a rundown of the good, famous company you'll be in when you do. And if you're a Rams fan, here's a quick celebrity enemies list so you can rub it in their faces on Twitter.

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20 Famous New England Patriots Fans, From Ben Affleck to Mark Wahlberg (Photos)

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