Wayne Rooney has described NFL legend Tom Brady’s criticism of his work ethic during his brief 83-day stint at Birmingham City as “very unfair.”
Brady, a minority owner at Birmingham, had raised concerns about Rooney’s dedication, but the former Manchester United captain believes the remarks were misplaced. Speaking to BBC Sport, Rooney explained that when he took over, the club was already in disarray and lacked the squad needed to move forward.
Rooney noted that Brady only visited the team once — the day before a match, when training was deliberately lighter — and suggested that at the time, the NFL great did not fully understand football.
“I respect Tom Brady massively; he’s one of the greatest athletes of all time. But football isn’t NFL — NFL runs for three months a year and players need rest. I think his comment was unfair,” Rooney said. He added that subsequent managers also struggled with the squad’s limitations, but he was pleased to see Birmingham making progress now.
