Tom Brady’s dad may have raised a NFL star, but he doesn’t think the trend toward younger kids playing the rough contact sport is a great thing.
Nowadays, if you want your kid to grow up to be a Tom Brady, you are urged to start them very, very young in any pursuit- particularly athletic ones. And 20 years ago, sport wasn’t as competitive on the youth level as it is now, but another factor was at play, making the decision to start a kid on athletics when they’re still developing slightly more weighted.
Tom Brady will be 35 this summer, and growing up in the 80’s, the rules for everything physical were slightly different. Kids rarely wore helmets for bike-riding and padding to skate, and less was known about the impact of head injuries among youths playing sports.
But now we know, and Tom Brady’s dad thinks not enough care is given to protecting younger kids when playing dangerous sports like football. In an interview, Brady’s father explains:
“This head thing is frightening for little kids. There’s the physical part of it and the mental part- it’s becoming very clear there are very serious long-term ramifications. I think Kurt Warner is 100 percent correct. He’s there to protect his children, and these other people who are weighing in are not addressing the issue of whether it’s safe or not for kids.”
Tom Brady’s dad continues:
“All this stuff about, ‘He made his fame and fortune off of football,’ that’s true- but we didn’t know then what we know now. Apparently, they don’t take their own parenting responsibility very seriously, or they don’t value their children’s health as much as they should.”
Brady’s dad make the remarks in response to some “controversial” commentary from Kurt Warner on the subject of kids and football.
