A lot has been written about the relationship between Greg Olsen and Tom Brady, especially after Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox, bumping Olsen from the network’s No. 1 broadcast team. But despite speculation of a rivalry or animosity between the two former NFL stars, there is none. The former players-turned-broadcasters have a lot of mutual respect for one another, a strong friendship and a shared love of competition and youth sports.
Brady recently sat down with Olsen to kick off the new season of the Youth Inc. Podcast, talking about everything from Brady’s journey from freshman football (he was the backup) to seven-time Super Bowl champion, to a shared love of competition, to, yes, their thoughts about the narrative surrounding their relationship and what happened at Fox.
The Brady episode, which drops Aug. 12, is the first of a star-studded lineup that includes Ryan Day, CJ Stroud, Malcolm Gladwell and Dr. Michael Gervais, Missy Franklin, Big Cat from Barstool, Bryce Young, James Clear, Clayton Kershaw, Mo Vaughn, Adrian Wojnarowski, Jenny Levy and more.
Podcast lineup with Tom Brady, Malcolm Gladwell and Dr. Michael Gervais, Ryan Day, CJ Stroud, Barstool Big Cat, and Missy Frankling
Toward the end of the episode, Olsen told the story about when he tried to play with Brady at the end of his career when Brady left the Patriots and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I tried to recruit you to be a real teammate of mine at one point where I could throw passes to you,” Brady said.
“Can we tell that story?” Olsen responded. “I get released from the Panthers after the 2019 season. “I’m talking to my agent and I’m telling him that I want to play with the Tom Bradys of the world. Gronk had been retired and I said, 'Can you imagine if I got to play with Tom?’”
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“The timing didn’t work out. Gronk came out of retirement and you guys won the freakin’ Super Bowl.”
Here are some more highlights from the episode:
Brady on his early struggles in football
“I didn’t play Pop Warner. It wasn’t available where I was. I started [playing on the freshman team [in high school], but I didn’t even start. I was the backup quarterback and we were 0-7 to start my freshman career.
[Football] was a struggle for me. People wouldn’t see this now, but my second year I played junior varsity. I ended up winning the starting job because the guy who was the freshman quarterback quit. We were OK that year, but I really fell in love with the sport. My third and fourth year I was started on varsity and I got lightly recruited to Michigan.”
Brady on his time at Michigan and early in his Patriots career
“There were six other quarterbacks ahead of me at Michigan. I fought my whole college career to get a chance to start. There were a lot of struggles along the way. I had a good college career, it wasn’t great. I thought I would be a second or third round pick. Then I got picked by the Patriots at 199.
“I was the fourth quarterback on the depth chart when I started at the Patriots. When I did get a chance to play as I starter, I really valued where I was at because it was hard for me. Every step along the way was a challenge to get from one year to the next.
“I always said, ‘Well, if they put you on the field, Tommy, they’re never going to take you off.’
[When Drew Bledsoe] got hurt I felt I was really prepared because I knew how to compete. I ran out on the field when I was 24 years old and I basically played for 21 straight seasons after that.”
On what football taught Brady
“It was a blessing that it was hard. There were so many times along the way when thought maybe it should be easier than this or maybe I should take an easier route. Maybe I should go to a lesser competitive school than Michigan. Maybe I should have quit football because that would have been easier in high school. But I’m happy I didn’t because it built up a level of determination and resilience in me that was able to transcend decades in professional sports.
“Not everyone is going to be a great player, but you want to be a great player in life. You want to be a great member of your family. You want to be a great member of your community. You want to do great in your office job. Well, you better be a great teammate. You better learn to overcome the things that don’t go your way. Because a lot times the things that don’t go your way, if you look at them as a blessing and you learn from them and you get more determined and more resilient than it will be a blessing.”
Olsen on what made him a great NFL player
“My brothers were the quarterbacks. I was the grunt. My brother would score 20 in basketball and I had to guard the other team’s best player.
“The best thing about my journey and something I try to share with my children. My greatest strength was I got better at every level the longer I went.”
Brady on the mental game
“There is a mental and emotional component to sports that in my mind can become a super power more so than your vertical jump or your 40 speed, everything they measure at a combine.”
Brady on his competitive nature
“I didn’t have a 44-inch vertical, but I had a 44-inch vertical in competitiveness.
“If I think of surrounding myself with people to create success in life, I want to be around people who know how to deal with adversity, who are resilient and determined that their actions can influence an outcome.
Brady on one of the best pieces of advice he received (while at Michigan)
“I had a great sports psychologist mentor who said to me, “Would you quit bitching and whining about what everyone else is doing. Why don’t you do the best with the opportunity you get. Man, it totally shifted my mind because before that it was always me comparing myself to other people.”
Brady on looking up to Olsen as a broadcaster
“When I look at broadcasting I was very much a rookie this last season. I looked up to a lot of people that thought, ‘Man, he’s does a great job’ and you’re obviously one of the greats already. I want to be like Greg. I watched so much Greg Olsen broadcasting tape. I said what’s he do that I like that maybe I can apply to what I’m doing.
“This is my general thought as we go about this in life. As long as I’m good with the man in the mirror that’s looking back at me at the end every day I’m cool with it. I realize that not everyone is going to like it or love it, but I’m trying my best. And if I try my best for me, that’s how we should look at life.”
Olsen on his relationship with Brady
“We’ve discussed this privately … there’s been a lot of speculation about our relationship. I think people would be surprised at the relationship and friendship we’ve built over the last 12 months or so.
“Something that we’ve preached to the kids … we can compete against people, but in order to prop myself up I don’t have to pull you down. We can both be great and it doesn’t mean I want either of us to be bad.”
Brady on his relationship with Olsen
“I’ll be here for you for anything. Anything from now to the rest of my life. There’s a part with our jobs that people want to write about … I don’t give a sh— about any of that. I just care about my relationship with you because I know if I’m cool with you that’s all that matters.
“I know that when you call I answer. And I know when I call you, you answer. This time will come and go and the articles will come and go, but the only people that need to be cool are me and you.”
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