Tom Brady admitted he feels guilty about his fame when it begins to overshadow his kids‘ accomplishments.
“Whether I’m at a game for my son, and I love doing that, but, you know, a lot of times the attention gets shifted to us,” the NFL legend said while talking to John Legend on SiriusXM’s “Let’s Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray” Tuesday.
“I don’t want to take away from their moments, ’cause this is [an] important part of their life and their maturation.”
Brady — who shares son Benjamin, 14, and daughter Vivian, 11, with ex-wife Gisele Bündchen and son Jack, 16, with ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan — said he only focuses on his children when he is with them to alleviate some of the “challenges” his fame brings.
“We try to teach them the right values and so forth,” he explained.
“But at the same time, I feel like, for me, when I’m out with my kids, I really wanna be with them, you know? And I really make it clear to people, ‘Sorry, I’m just out here enjoying my time with my family.’”
The retired quarterback, 46, shared that he teaches his family their privilege comes at a personal cost.
“The reason we get to go on a lot of fun vacations and you guys go to schools and have people to help [is because] we have to deal with some things that are different than everyone else,” he explained.
“So, there’s no straight arrow for anyone in life. Everyone’s gonna find different curves and turns and twists and trying to just be a great parent.”
Brady and Bündchen, 43, divorced in October 2022 after 13 years of marriage. Although they have gone their separate ways, the former couple live across a waterway from each other in Miami and share joint custody of their kids.
The former New England Patriots player has enjoyed a casual romance with model Irina Shayk since the split, while the former Victoria’s Secret Angel has gotten closer with her jiu-jitsu instructor, Joaquim Valente, though they have never confirmed a romance.
