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How Tom Brady struggled with his younger son not liking sports

In a recent interview, the New England Patriots quarterback spoke candidly about how different his three kids are from each other — and from him.
Tom Brady appeared on the cover of Men's Health for their September issue.
Tom Brady appeared on the cover of Men's Health for their September issue.ERIC RAY DAVIDSON FOR MEN'S HEALTH
/ Source: TODAY

You might expect football to run in Tom Brady's blood — but not all of his kids are the sports fans you might expect them to be.

The New England Patriots quarterback spoke to Men's Health for a September cover story, and talked candidly about the differences between himself and his kids.

His youngest son, 9-year-old Benjamin, has no interest in sports — and according to Brady, it took him some time to get used to it. His oldest son, 12-year-old John (nicknamed Jack and co-parented with ex Bridget Moynahan) is a big fan of sports, and the two spend plenty of time together — but when he tried to convince Benjamin to get involved, he would be rebuffed.

"When Benny came along, I thought he would be just like Jack," Brady explained. "So I was like 'C'mon, let's do this.' And he was like 'Nope.' And I was like, 'What? No, do this!'"

According to the Men's Health interview, it took intervention from wife Gisele Bündchen before Brady realized that his son had different interests — and understood that that was normal.

"Gisele kept saying to me, 'Would you effing understand that your son is different?'" he said. "It was hard for me. I was like 'What do you mean? He's a boy; he should like all these things that I do.' The reality is that Benny just likes different things. And it's great because now I just have to go do what he wants to do."

Benny's hobbies? Watching movies — during the interview, he popped in to ask about the release date for Jumanji 2, starring Brady's friend Dwayne Johnson — and joking around with his dad.

"When we [joke], he has the best time," Brady explained. "He's like 'OMG, Dad, you're so funny.' He loves joking, and I joke back."

Even though not all of his kids are the biggest sports fans in the world, they still follow his career and come to Patriots games — which means that sometimes they see his worst losses. During the interview, he shared a behind-the-scenes story of seeing them after losing the 2017 Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles. All three kids (Jack, Benjamin, and 6 1/2 year old daughter Vivian) were in tears, and even though Brady himself was upset, he found himself pushing aside his own emotions to support the kids.

"I said, 'Guys, look: Daddy doesn't always win,'" he recalled. "'That isn't the way life is. You try really hard — that's the most important thing. If you gave it your best, you live with the outcome.'"

Bündchen also shared the moment on Instagram. The sweet photo shows her, Brady, and the kids, along with a heartfelt caption.

Even without putting sports into the equation, each of his kids is different in their own way. While he's careful about what he says about his kids, since he doesn't want it to come up on the playground or take on a new life in social media, he spent one candid moment briefly describing the different ways his kids interact with the world.

"Jack is just like me—he holds a lot in," Brady explained. "Benny lets it all out. Vivi, she doesn’t care. They’re going to be their own selves, not who you want them to be."