NFL legend Tom Brady isn’t happy with the current climate in college sports.
Fueled by money — specifically, revenue-sharing and name, image and likeness deals — along with the transfer portal’s explosion and ongoing conference realignment, Brady says a reality check is needed in collegiate athletics.
“But because we’re just talking about money, money, money, money … that’s the only value in college? Is that what we’re saying? To me, the priorities are a bit messed up,” Brady said in a conversation with Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt on the “Big Noon Conversations” podcast.
College sports, in particular football and basketball, are a big business, and Brady recognizes that. At the same time, given NIL and other factors, there isn’t a ton of loyalty in the college game, as players switch schools all the time.
Plus, as Brady notes, these players are missing out on the college experience that he had while playing quarterback for Big Ten Conference powerhouse Michigan from 1995-1999, because they’re competing for two or three schools.
“I didn’t go to three different colleges,” Brady, who won seven Super Bowls in the NFL, continued. “I didn’t leave college when it seemed like I wasn’t gonna play. I wasn’t at college to do anything other than have a great college experience, to go to school, to have camaraderie with my teammates and to compete at a high level. That’s really where the focus was. And at a young age, that’s where I think the focus needs to be.”
Brady doesn’t blame the players. They’re teenagers or in their early 20s when suiting up for college teams. He says that players’ parents have to protect them. It’s even more complicated these days (and tempting) because of the money being offered to top-ranked prospects, and some of these young men also have agents now.
“It’s very intriguing to get that quick dollar,” Brady said. “Look, we had a $400 scholarship check, and it seemed like I was rich. It really did. I’m sure most kids felt like that. We got pizza cards to go to dinner, and we had a training table, and it was an amazing experience. We didn’t think about the money.”
Brady says his time at Michigan prepared him for the pro ranks. He was in college for four years but didn’t become the Wolverines’ starter until his junior season. While Brady was a good college quarterback, he wasn’t elite. He was selected in the sixth round of the NFL Draft and used that as motivation to prove that he belonged in the pros.
What then transpired was Brady evolving into the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL. He says young players today are too quick to move to a different school if they’re not getting enough playing time.
“The lessons I learned in college — and certainly about competition — those traits transformed my life as a professional. I was ready to compete against anybody, because the competition in college toughened me up so much that I had a self-belief and self-confidence that whatever I was faced with, I could overcome that,” Brady said.
Brady isn’t saying that money isn’t important. But he is saying what many others are thinking. The emphasis on money in college sports is concerning and problematic.
“We’re valuing the wrong things,” said Brady.
