Tom Brady on Birmingham City's Wrexham Rivalry, Premier League Aspirations, and Football vs Football: Men in Blazers 07/31/25

0:00It's Rog, here to sing my praise for a very special New Balance football boot, the 442. It's no-nonsense, workhorse midfielders and defenders, the ones who do the dirty work, but also ping a pass to perfection. It's a classic boot design with modern enhancements, with an ultra-lightweight sole, synthetic microfibre material, retains a soft premium in-hand feel, allowing for the lighter weight, the superior touch on the ball. Get a pair for yourself or the footballer in your family at newbalance.com slash soccer. You're listening to the Men in Blazers Media Network, Suboptimal Radio. Has anyone explained the Birmingham accent to you before you arrived, Tom?

0:39Can you help me, Rog? Please. When they're chanting, I had to look over at David when I was there at the Wrexham game, and I'm like, what did they say? He says, Tommy, you don't want to know. And I go, well, no, explain. He said something like a sheep shagger or something like that. There's a great scene in the show. You're like, what are they chanting? David's like, I think they're chanting, who the F are you? And you're like, I like that.

1:01My guest today is a record-breaking gent blessed with Eisenhower levels of decision-making, Luke Littler-esque accuracy, a competitive spirit up there with Michael Jordan or Joey Chestnut and cheekbones sharper than a late-night monologue. After a 23-year career in which he won as many rings as Planet Saturn, he wasn't just content with being an all-American superhero. No, he leapt into the other football in August 2023, becoming co-owner of storied English club Birmingham City, a journey that's the subject of the new Amazon Prime series built in Birmingham, Brady and the Blues. To join to welcome Mr.

1:43Tom Brady. Hey, Raj. Hey, you're hired for every introduction that I ever need to do ever again. OK, that was very polite of you. Thank you, Tom. Tom, that is a deal. You're a beautiful human being about whom it is not possible to be hyperbolic. And congratulations on the Amazon show. I know you're so gifted. Like every sport, world knows your NFL exploits with the Patriots and the Bucks. You were drafted by the Expos in 1995 as a catcher. But let's start with the important question every U.S. national team fan wants to know. Did young Tom Brady ever play our football, soccer? And if so, what kind of a player were you?

2:22Wait, you own football? I didn't know that. It's a global sport. And you know what the reality is in America, every kid grows up playing your version of football. We call it here soccer. But as we transitioned and I got into other sports, the reality is I was a better player as an American football player. when I really embraced the sport, that skill set really took hold of me. And I think the reality for most athletes in America is these other sports just become very dominant because of culturally what's on television all the time and what's being talked about in the schoolyard ends up often being talked about American football, basketball, baseball, hockey.

3:04And it's an amazing sport. It's a global sport. It's the biggest sport in the world. We all love it. And the reality is You think about like boxing when there's an American heavyweight, everyone in America is all in on it. And we need the youth in America in soccer. We need a young phenom like a Yamin Lamal, a young Lionel Messi to take over. And I believe that there will be the most amazing kind of cultural revolution for soccer here in America. We love rooting for winners. We love rooting for the best of the best. The World Cup is coming to America in 2026. You can't imagine the fanfare when that happens.

3:40Every stadium would be sold out. The American audience loves it. And certainly in the meantime, we're cheering for Birmingham City. Everything that they got going on, we got to travel to the UK to see some buildup in stadiums that are full. And we're willing to do that because we love this club. Let's talk about built in Birmingham because it does take you on your English football journey. You retired from the NFL in 2023 at the tender age of 45. You already knew Tom Wagner, an American investor, co-founder, Knighthead Capital Management. I think he's quite a big Patriots fan. But take us to the moment.

4:16Tom came to you with the idea, the quite insane idea of buying Birmingham City. They're a fallen giant of a football club. Then in the second tier, the championship, what did he pitch? And honestly, what attracted you to the idea, Tom? That pitch that you just talked about was exactly what Tom talked about. And Tom and I have been great friends for a long time. Our oldest sons both went to kindergarten together and have been friends for, you know, they're both now 17 years old, going off to college here shortly. So when he talked to me about the idea of being involved in this great club, it was very much the same way.

4:51It was a bit of an undervalued club with a great opportunity. And if we could instill the right winning processes in this environment, then this club has a great chance for success. And we're really on the precipice of that now. Now, based on what we did last season, I think there's great hope that we can continue to move up. None of that is easy. I don't want to make it seem like just because you say it, it happens. There's got to be an entire organization that's committed to one another that is willing to do whatever it takes to allow the club to be successful. If you say it will happen, if that was true, then the Chicago Bears for me would have won at least a dozen Super Bowls.

5:29But so many Americans right now, financiers, celebrities are buying into English football. LeBron owns a little bit of Premier League champions. Liverpool Snoop Dogg just bought into Swansea City. My friend JJ Watt is mad for Burnley. Why is there so much interest in English football from the United States investors buying into the clubs there, do you think? Because we love sports and we love competition. And the reality is, is what sports do to all of us. They keep us very engaged in this competitive mindset that we have. And when you look at making investments, there's different opportunities all over the world.

6:04And because of the digital age that we're in and the social media, the world has gotten very small. We can all pay attention to a lot of things. Everything is on demand. I watch every Birmingham City getting on my television so we can pay attention to whatever we want. It doesn't just have to be in our backyard anymore. In fact, we can go over to England. We can cheer in the stands. We can have a great time. We can be in the pubs with the supporters. That's what life's about. It's continuing to challenge ourselves to pursue things that we want to accomplish. And again, this club has great ambition and I can't wait to see what we accomplish this year.

6:37You probably know more about gridiron football than pretty well any human being alive. But global football in the show, you brought David Beckham as your guest to the Wrexham game. Who in your friendship circles did you turn to to learn the ins and the outs of English football? Well, quite a bit. David's been a good friend of mine, too, for a long time. And obviously watching his career, he comes over to the MLS, has great success here for the Galaxy. How he transitioned into sports ownership is pretty amazing. And his club here, Inter-Miami, has done great things. They've got a whole real estate project going on here in Miami right now, building a new stadium.

7:13I see firsthand living here what that does to the community. So I have a lot of friends in sports, not only just in soccer, but also in American football that I consult on a lot of things. I feel like we're always here to learn and grow and to put ourselves in positions to expand our knowledge base. And beyond playing, there was no greater transition I can have than being involved in sports teams. What's the single thing you've learned about this version of football, English football, that surprised you? Well, the most surprising thing is that there's no difference at all. And success in a soccer team is the same as success in a football team.

7:50and the values that are instilled by the players in the club and the processes needed to be successful on a daily basis are all the same. Now, the tactics of the individual game are very different and you need to rely on people that know those tactics very well to put the players in the best position to succeed. But in terms of process and practice and training and recovery, in messaging, in the competitive level and desire to win every single day, those things are exactly the same. Your role, it's not day-to-day nitty-gritty. I watch the Amazon Prime show. It is a fascinating look at a unique blend of cultures, melding American ownership with Brummie culture.

8:27And you call your own role, quote, the visionary role, which sounds very Steve Jobs-y. But for sports, how much day-to-day input do you have? How much do you want? Well, I'm certainly involved whenever I'm needed. I believe I provide to be very resourceful when needed based on whatever Chris needs, whatever Tom leads, whatever an individual player may need. I watch the games. I'm obviously paying attention to the energy. I'm listening to everything that's happening. And when I see something that's a little bit off, I make sure I bring it up because it's always about course correcting when things aren't going your way.

9:00Last year was an incredible season for us. Chris, our manager, did such an incredible job with these players on a day-to-day basis. Most of the time, the seasons don't go like that. So what's the role of the ownership, it's to help solve problems. And it's to hold people accountable to a certain standard. And if we can set that standard and have the right values and everybody can understand what their role and responsibility is, well, that's how you set the framework for success. How does the minority ownership in English football compare to being a minority owner of an NFL team in Vegas? Is there a difference?

9:34Again, I think there's always subtle differences, but I think my view is sports are very similar. Same thing with Tom Wagner. What makes his business, Nighthead, so successful are the same values that makes Birmingham successful. It's the same thing that makes any project successful. You need people that are very hardworking, that are very committed to one another, that are very disciplined, that try to make the right choices every day, that have humility, that show up every day committed to doing the right thing as often as possible. And when you're wrong, to try to make those corrections as quickly as possible so you can get back on the winning track.

10:08So the reality is there is no difference in any of those areas. And I think you just have to be able to recognize them. The more time you spend watching, paying attention, listening, you can pick those things up pretty quickly. And that's the value of wisdom. That's the value of experience. And again, what I've been a part of for a long time playing professional sports. Your Amazon share opens with the first time you visit Birmingham. It's a gritty, working class city, second largest in England. I'm fascinated by your first impressions of Birmingham, because I don't know if there's a U.S. city that's like it, maybe Houston.

10:43How did you prepare for the unique culture of the Midlands other than, you know, binging on six seasons of Peaky Blinders? That was my first introduction, to be honest. And I understood that it was a very hardworking city with high expectations, certainly for this club. And we want to be able to give these supporters what they've always dreamed of. And that's reaching the pinnacle of the sport. And if we can bring in through our experience, whether that's in financial investment and then whether it's our energy and it's our time and it's our commitment to paying attention again to help try to solve the problems whenever they come up.

11:23Because the challenge of sports, everyone thinks that every year, you know, you start at the bottom and boom, you race to a championship. And the reality is along the way, there are daily struggles. There are daily struggles with the individuals. There's daily struggles with the team. And you always have to find ways to support those players as they go through their lives. These are a lot of young players. Culturally, we have players from Korea. We have from Japan. That is very difficult for these guys. They're way outside of their comfort zone. But how can we provide them and eliminate as many distractions as possible so that they can show up to work doing what they love to do and allowing them to live their dreams out because that's what they want to accomplish when they believe in Birmingham city they want to come here because they believe they can be successful and we want to see them be successful

12:14if anyone explained the Birmingham accent to you before you arrived Tom it's pretty singular please I mean it's a lot of it when they're chanting I had to look over at David when I I was there at the Wrexham game and I'm like, what did they say? He says, Tommy, you don't want to know. And I was like, well, no, explain. He said something like a sheep shagger or something like that. And I laughed. It was pretty funny, but I couldn't make it out quite when I was there. I know. There's a great scene in the show where you turn around to David Beckham. Like, what are they chanting? David's like, I think they're chanting, who the F are you?

12:44And you're like, I like that. I've heard that a lot. Look, I've been called so many things over a long period of time. And when they're calling you names, usually that's a good thing because they're paying attention to who you are. So I've never minded any of the insults come my way. I respect it. And the reality is when I feel that there is that motivating factor in me that allows me to dig a little deeper within myself to kick their ass. We had Ed Sheeran on. He was just like, I just want the fans to come up with something more creative than you're just a ginger bastard. He's like, put some effort into it, lads.

13:16That's right. Where's the creativity? You brought into the club August 2023. Birmingham City was in the second tier of the championship. First of all, as a profoundly competitive human being, you're used to being in the center of the action, defining games. How hard is it for you to watch sports without having any control on the outcome? Do you feel the itch to just charge onto the field and win the match yourself? No, I feel no itch to do that anymore. I had my part playing that role for a long time. And now I let the other players who are way better than I ever was do that. And I'm very happy sitting up there in the stands cheering for them because, you know, these guys are some of the best in the world.

13:55And even in the championship, the level of competition is very tough. These guys are world-class players. They bring it every single day. And being in the championship two years ago, I know how talented these teams are and the kind of challenges that we're going to face this year. So I'm excited to see how this club meets the challenges. What do you watch when you watch football, Tom? JJ Watt comes on our show and talks about how he sees time and space and the vision of football as fascinating to watch, almost like NFL quarterbacks watching the game. What do you see football-wise? What you feel a lot, too, is who has the most energy out there?

14:30Who's working hardest to gain possession of the ball? Who's being really focused with the passing? Who's being lackadaisical with the passing? If you think about the games, they're very similar. In American football, you have an end zone and you have another end zone where you score. You try to get the ball down into the red zone, which in soccer, you call it the final third. And then when you get there, you try to take advantage of your scoring opportunities because it's hard to get it down there and it's hard to keep it down there. So who maintains possession of the ball? You can't score. Well, very rarely can you score in either sport without maintaining possession of the ball.

15:04So you need to maintain possession of the ball. When you don't have the ball, you've got to get it back as fast as you can. When you get the ball, you've got to get into the final third and you've got to create good scoring opportunities. So the two games are actually very similar. Scott Hanson would lose his mind if he was doing a red zone on soccer though, wouldn't he? We'd like to see that. He does a great job. A lot of the football that I watch, I'm actually watching that show. But again, I think my experience in American football, there are tactically, I have a great understanding, probably one of the greatest understandings of how that sport works.

15:40In soccer, it's obviously quite a bit different for me. So I'm learning, I'm getting up to speed, but still there's no way for me to match the expertise of our manager, Chris Davis. It's just, he's got so many years and so much expertise and knowledge in what he's done. And that's what you do. You defer to the people who have much better insight than you do. One of my favorite scenes in built in Birmingham is when you talk to the players, you say things like effing football is hard, meaning both types of football. You've talked about how you do see those similarities. Which former NFL teammate, their skill set, do you think would have translated best from the gridiron to the football pitch?

16:18Wow, there's a lot of them. Yeah, I played with one guy, Wes Welker, who is just an absolute, one of the greatest players ever to play American football. He had every skill set and he could translate that onto a soccer pitch probably as well as anybody. He was tough. He was hardworking. He was relentless. He was competitive every single day. He was competitive in practice. He tried to win everything that he did. He was a little bit undersized, but he made up for that with the size of his heart. And those are the kind of players that we're looking for in Birmingham City too. Not everybody comes wrapped in a Tiffany box.

16:53Everybody has to figure out their own way. Everybody has strengths and weaknesses, but when you can use those weaknesses as an advantage because it motivates you in other areas, that's what great competitors are able to do. Gronk had all the makings to be one of the best football goalkeepers of all time, I think. A little Thibaut Courtois in Gronk. He would have been a monster in the goal. I'd have worried that he hit his head on the top of the goalpost if he ever jumped. But he would have been absolutely free. He probably would have tried to eat the ball. That would have been the one problem.

17:26If he played soccer, that would not be good for me. I would not have as many Super Bowl championships. So I'm very happy that he chose American football. Julian Edelman too, by the way, had all the skill sets. I know he's proper Tottenham, that gentleman, but bloody hell, you're actually surrounded by ones that got away from a US perspective. But in terms of Birmingham, beginnings of any project are difficult. Learning curve steep. One of your first moves was to install Wayne Rooney as a manager. Results didn't go as you wanted. There's an incredible scene in the show where you talk to Wayne and you're driving away and you say, I'm a little worried about our head coach's work ethic.

18:00You subsequently got relegated to League One, the third tier. What do you learn from that hiring of Wayne Rooney? Well, our first season was a bit of a challenge. And I think we have to take ownership of every decision that was made. And I think there's other times where we realize, OK, well, maybe it wasn't. We made the decision at the time, but we learned from it. And then we moved on and we found someone that we feel really fits the values of what Tom Wagner and I really believe. And we found Chris Davis through extensive interview process. He's been absolutely phenomenal in his role. And we have high expectations for him as we continue through this season.

18:36So, you know, every year you're continuing to learn. And usually when you make decisions, you always feel like you're making the right decision. But I think it's really important in the decision-making process to when you realize, OK, we need to make a change based on production. Well, we did it. And unfortunately, we got relegated our first year, but we had a great season last year. But listen, the reality of our first year or second year mean nothing at this point. What means the most is this season, this moment, today, this practice is the only thing we control in preparation for what's happening coming up August 8th against Ipswich.

19:10I want to talk about Chris Davis. I want to talk about this season just one moment, but I've got to ask you, you experienced that feeling of relegation. Spoiler alert, you then delivered the magic of promotion. Are you in favor of the concept of relegation? Could that ever work in US sports, Tom? Like if at the end of the season, the Cleveland Browns were relegated? It would be very different in America. And not saying it couldn't work. I actually love the relegation system in football. I think it creates great accountability for the clubs. And it's got to be, it's certainly a big challenge for us.

19:44I know how it felt that final day in our first season when things didn't go the way that we wanted. But we took that losing as a great opportunity to really look hard within ourselves and realize that we needed to do better. and last year again was great but every year in sport you start right back at the bottom of the mountain and every team is trying to climb the mountain and continuity is very important having players that believe in what we're trying to accomplish having the processes for those players to be successful are very important and that's how you're able to climb the mountain again slowly and it takes a lot and along that journey there's a lot of things that don't go your way so So you need players with high character, high values that don't point fingers when things don't go their way, that realize that they can look around with humility and do better for one another.

20:35And again, that's the type of environment that I believe we're building in Birmingham is we have a great manager. We have a great staff. The players that we brought in believe in one another. They're so excited to be a part of the club this season, and we want to provide them with the best opportunity they can to be successful. Tom, in the show, you personally lead the search for the next manager. We talked about him a bunch. Chris Davis, Gentoo's playing career was cut short at 19 by injury, was a longtime assistant to Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool and Celtic, and then Ange Postacoglu at Tottenham.

21:07Birmingham was actually his first ever head coach position, and he's really soared. But I'm interested in how you think about soccer coaching, because NFL coaches, as you know, have almost total control. They literally have a playbook. They're puppet masters of almost every play. Football, soccer, it's a long way improvisational. It's like free jazz. What makes a good coach in whatever sport they happen to be? And what have you learned are the major differences in coaching the two different footballs? The two things I believe you need is you need to be smart and you need to be hardworking. And there's a lot of other things you can solve for.

21:42And again, the manager can only do so much. He can't play. He can't get the ball in the back of the net. That's up to the players. The coach needs to show up every day with a great plan, tactically and motivationally to get the players to perform at a high level. When the game's being played, it's up to the players to go out there and do their thing. In American football, it's very much the same way. Interestingly, my belief in American football is there's nobody more important to winning games on game day than the quarterback. But over the course of the week, there's no other position on the club other than head coach that allows the team to be successful.

22:18So the reality is you need both. You need great players. You need great coaches and supported by an organization of people that all bring different skill sets to the club. Even the people that are clean in the training room, even the people that are in the strength and conditioning room, everyone who's preparing the food, people who are involved in travel. Everybody plays a role. Everybody's important because nobody can do someone else's job. You have to do the job that you're assigned to. You show up every day. And if you're playing a role, let's say a quarterback, do the job the best you could do.

22:52And everyone else needs to support you in that because we're not good at everything. We have our own individual skillset that we need to bring to the table. And it's got to be supported by the rest of the club. I hear that, Tom. And I hear the words, do your job, which I do think universally translates to every language. I have to ask you, would Bill Belichick have been a good Premier League football manager? Absolutely. He'd be good at anything that he did. And again, he was someone that I learned so much for. He's a lot like probably Sir Alex Ferguson from Manchester United. I think he was a great leader for the organization.

23:24He had very high standards. One of his greatest attributes was accountability. And he would always say, look, I'm just going to tell you the truth. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not your mom. I'm not your wife. I'm not your girlfriend. I'm not your agent. You can go to them to feel good about who you are. I'm here to tell you exactly how you're doing every single day. If you've got a problem with how you're playing time, come talk to me. If you've got a problem with how you're being used, come talk to me. And I'm going to tell you exactly how I feel about what you're doing and why you're either getting the things that you want or not getting the things that you want.