Tom Brady rails against ‘BS’ apology after Buccaneers loss to Browns

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady admittedly didn’t sleep well after a tough overtime loss to the Browns on Sunday.

During Monday’s episode of his SiriusXM show « Let’s Go! », Brady said the trip back from Cleveland to Tampa had been a long night – and that he had allowed himself to face defeat for 24 hours before getting ready for Week 13 against the Saints.

When asked by co-host Jim Gray to explain « what’s the consistency, apparently, of being so inconsistent all year, » Brady blamed it on bad mistakes by the team. He also took responsibility for « not doing it » on the stretch.

« Well, I think that’s a consistency for, you know, so many plays that were positive and then canceled out by some kind of untimely mistakes by our team, » he said. « And it’s not a player, it’s not a position. Football is the quintessential team sport and I have always believed that as a leader you always take the blame and you always give the credit. And it’s just that I always feel like that because that’s really leadership. I always look at what I need to do better.

« I had the chance to hit Mike [Evans] on the sidelines in overtime to win the game and I couldn’t. … You can give in to the noise outside and have everyone say, “Oh, it’s not your fault, it’s somebody else’s fault. I think it’s BS. It’s your fault when you lose and you take it personally when you lose. And you shouldn’t sleep at night when you lose. And you should only think about what you need to do to help the team more. And that’s what I lay in bed at night after games thinking.

The Buccaneers are now 5-6 this season after the 23-17 loss to Cleveland, though they still lead the NFC South.

« It’s a tough situation to be in, having a losing record, but that’s our reality and we haven’t done anything to win more than that, » he said. « And if you want to win games, if you want to win a fight, if you want to win a golf game, if you want to win your Monopoly [game], you have to deserve it. No one will give it to you. You have to go there every day and try to earn it through the improvement process.

Brady, 45, said he and his team « will keep fighting » as they have all season. The seven-time Super Bowl champion added that he « would rather lose and play than not play at all. »

Brady completed 29 of 43 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns, and was sacked three times against the Browns. It was the first time in his career that his team held a seven-point lead in the final minute of the fourth quarter and lost the game.

It’s been a season of ups and downs for Brady, both on and off the court, after leading the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title in 2021.

While the quarterback is dealing with his team’s current struggles, he is also weeks away from finalizing his divorce from ex-wife, model Gisele Bündchen.

The Buccaneers will host division rival 4-8 Saints on « Monday Night Football » next week.