Tom Brady Responds to Rob Gronkowski’s Criticism of Patriots

The New England Patriots have long had a reputation for being a team that “doesn’t have fun” while winning multiple Super Bowls. Former tight end Rob Gronkowski said that this was accurate while explaining that the Patriots don’t celebrate wins, instead choosing to focus on what can be fixed from the game. Quarterback Tom Brady heard this critique, and he has since responded.

Speaking during an interview on WEEI this week, Brady explained that the Patriots do focus on the teachable moments from each game. They don’t truly celebrate each victory like other teams do, which could create that feeling of being unable to enjoy wins. Interestingly enough, the 42-year-old quarterback did say that he appreciated having Gronkowski around because he was the man that consistently lightened the mood.

“I think everyone deals with things differently and I think that was part of having a guy like Gronk in the locker room that was so great was he approached it like he does,” Brady said during the interview. “He always looks at the bright spots in everything. When you have great attitudes like that, it is good to have. He was a great player for us for a long time.

Following recent games, there have been reports that Brady has appeared frustrated or dejected due to the struggles of the offense. He hasn’t hidden his feelings about the lack of points scored or the fact that the team needs to improve. Gronkowski even said during the FOX pregame show that his former quarterback is clearly frustrated despite having only one loss on the year. However, Brady did clarify this by explaining how he switches between multiple emotions following each game.

“We have different challenges that we face and for me personally, I don’t have one emotion after every game. There’s probably five or 10. The moment you catch me is how I will feel at a particular time and sometimes it takes time to digest things and deal with things. Hopefully, we can process those by the time the preparation for the next week starts.”

There have certainly been moments in which Brady has shown his frustration at the lack of production from this offense, but he has also taken time following each game to relish those crucial wins. The veteran quarterback has posted short videos on Twitter each week to say hi to his fans, wish them a happy holiday, and talk about how it feels great to win each game.

Brady and the Patriots may not celebrate the wins in the manner that Gronkowski would prefer, but the quarterback is still striving to soak up the happy moments each week. Although he does recognize that every player deals with the victory in varying ways.

(Photo Credit: Patrick Smith/Getty)