Tom Brady faces massive backlash from ex-NFL stars over 'nonsense and unserious' opinion

Matthew NeschisMon, June 1, 2026 at 11:01 PM UTC

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Tom Brady garnered criticism for his controversial take regarding practice squad players -Credit:Getty Images (Getty Images)

Tom Brady drew a fierce wave of backlash from multiple ex-NFL stars — including several former teammates — after claiming that practice squad players can’t handle the pressure that comes with being on an active roster.

While making an appearance on the Champion Mindset podcast, Brady — who recently fell short of winning a Sports Emmy award to FOX Sports teammate Greg Olsen — revealed that practice squad players routinely caught his eye at practices.

"There was times where these 15 guys would do really well in practice and they'd be practicing and — I saw this happen a lot — these scout team receivers would come in and practice with the scout team and they'd do really well," Brady recalled.

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"And I'd be watching and I'm like, 'Man, we got to get that guy. Let's get him up on offense. He's making a lot of plays. That's Darrelle Revis he's getting open on. We got to do something.'"

Once said players were elevated to the active roster at Brady’s behest, however, they rarely could replicate their success on the practice field during live game action.

"Then all of a sudden, we're like, 'Hey man, you're doing really well, you got to come over here and deal with the pressure of succeeding now that you have expectation.' And these guys are like, they weren't prepared for it," Brady added.

"So whatever we saw in practice against, where there was not a lot of pressure, now, when they're put in a situation where there's an expectation for performance, they've never had to personally deal with that and then they fail."

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Danny Woodhead called out Brady for his take on practice-squad players -Credit:Getty Images

In some instances, Brady even alleged that practice squad players were uninterested in making the 53-man active roster, fearing the added pressure the move would bring.

"And then what I realized was, a lot of guys on those practice squads, they don't want to be elevated to the roster," he said. "They're very happy living this life where they could tell their family and friends, which I have no problem with that... But the reality is a lot of guys don't want the pressure of dealing with top."

Taking to social media, droves of critics did little to hide their frustration with Brady and his controversial opinion. Former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz described Brady's take as “nonsense and unserious,” insisting that no serious practice squad player would prefer not to appear in a regular-season contest.

"I remember only a handful of guys who truly did not want to play in a game," Schwartz wrote on X. "They were all active squad guys. The PS guys can't wait to get called up.

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“And Brady is right in saying there are players who can't handle the pressure and do fold. But it's not because they don't want to be on the field."

Lions offensive lineman Dan Skipper — who briefly overlapped with Brady in New England during the 2019 campaign — bluntly called the 48-year-old’s view “bull----,” adding: "As someone who experienced both sides, there is a lot more that goes into it."

Even ex-NFL running back Danny Woodhead — who played alongside Brady on the Patriots for three seasons from 2010-12 — couldn’t help but slam his opinion.

"Last thing I wanted to do was stay where I was as a psquad guy," Woodhead wrote. "Made sure I knew every position I could possibly play. Like 6 weeks in got elevated to the active roster as a WR. Position I never played."

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Source: “AOL Sports”