New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said Friday he gets motivation from his teammates to win a fifth Super Bowl — and not from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell , who handed down Brady’s four-game suspension to open the 2016 season over the Deflategate scandal.
“I’m motivated for my teammates. They’re all the motivation I need,” Brady told reporters Friday after the team’s walkthrough practice ahead of Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons on Feb. 5 at NRG Stadium in Houston. “It takes a lot of work to get to this point. Nothing that has happened in the past is going to help us win this game. What’s going to help us win this game is going through that process we talked about and being ready to go. That’s enough motivation for me. ”
Brady continued to sidestep questions on Friday about Deflategate and Goodell.
“I’m a positive person, so I just focus on all the positives. I don’t get caught up in negativity and bashing other people,” Brady said Friday. “I’m very blessed. I get to do something I love to do — show up to work every day, play football in the National Football League and play for the Patriots.
“I grew up watching Joe Montana and Steve Young in the Bay Area at a great time. I got great support from my family and some great support from my friends. I love playing for this team. I’m very blessed and I try to keep a positive outlook and I try to influence people in a positive way to try to be an encouraging person in other people’s life. Hopefully that wears off on my teammates. It’s a tough game and it’s a lot of challenges you face. Always focusing on what’s positive has worked for me. ”
Earlier this week, Goodell said it would be “an honor” to hand the Lombardi Trophy to Brady if the Patriots win the Super Bowl.
Goodell was asked by FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd on Wednesday whether it would be an awkward moment for him after a long court battle between the league and Brady.
“Not for a second. These are great teams. I’m going to be thrilled,” Goodell said in an interview on “The Herd” radio show. “Tom Brady is one of the all-time greats. He has been for several years. He’s on the precipice of at least potentially winning his fifth Super Bowl ring. He’s an extraordinary player, great performer, and a sure-fire Hall of Famer. So it would be an honor. ”
Fans chanted “Roger, Roger, Roger” and “Where is Roger” at Gillette Stadium during the Patriots’ 36-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game last Sunday night as the 39-year-old Brady threw for 384 yards and three touchdowns.
The Patriots advanced to a record ninth Super Bowl — and the league-high seventh for the coach-quarterback tandem of Bill Belichick and Brady in their bid for a record five Super Bowl rings.
“It’s a pretty cool thing for our team to be able to accomplish this,” Brady said Friday. “A lot of work goes into it. There are a lot of people that support us — our families, our friends, old coaches, old teammates — that’ll all be excited a week from Sunday, so I want to go out there and represent everybody really well.
“Every year is a little bit different. You have different circumstances and I think (we’ve) just done a good job taking advantage of our opportunities. This is a pretty tough, mentally and physically tough team that has proven itself over the course of a long season. We’re playing against a great team. This team has beaten everybody. They’re just a great football team — offensively, defensively, special teams — they’re well-coached. This is a great football team we’re playing so we’re going to have to our best game of the year. ”
Brady and the Patriots will travel to Houston on Monday ahead of their matchup with the Falcons, who will arrive Sunday afternoon.
