Brady on Super Bowl loss: 'Those games live with you' for life

Tom Brady twice experienced the sour sting of a Super Bowl defeat before last month’s loss to the Eagles, but that didn’t make the third any easier.

In an interview Monday with former Giant and Super Bowl opponent Michael Strahan on “Good Morning America," the Patriots quarterback opened up about the 41-33 upset in Minneapolis, saying the disappointment of Super Bowl LII will never leave him.

“I think it is a process you have to deal with,” said Brady, a five-time Super Bowl champ and the reigning NFL MVP. “It is so great to be in that game, but to win that game, it is very tough. We’ve had a couple of close losses, to the Giants unfortunately, and then the one against the Eagles. I think you realize the sun comes up the next morning and your life goes on, but those games live with you for the rest of your life.

“That’s part of being an athlete. That’s part of being in a very competitive sport,” he added. It’s tough to win that game. I am proud of our efforts throughout the year. We overcame a lot of adversity like you always need to do in order to get to that game, but just came up a little bit short.”

Brady was at GMA’s studios in Manhattan to promote his Facebook documentary series, “Tom vs. Time,” which is billed as an all-access look into his family life and airs its sixth and final episode Monday at noon.

The QB said that coming off last year’s remarkable Super Bowl comeback against the Falcons, it felt like the right time to show more of himself off the field.

“It was a great experience because I got to share a lot of things fans don’t get to always see,” Brady said. “I chose a very public profession. With all the fans that have enjoyed the show, I think back and think of what a great decision. It was hard work, a lot of work last offseason and this season, a little bit of time, but to me it turned into a great series.”

As for the 40-year-old’s remaining years in the NFL, Brady reiterated that he’s not ready to move on just yet. Strahan mentioned Brady telling his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, when they first met that he had about 10 seasons left in the league, but after a decade, Brady remains far from hanging up his spikes.

“I wasn’t a great math student back then," Brady joked. "She’s right. I did say that. When we met I was 29-30 years old and I thought, ‘Man, if I could get to 40 that would be amazing. It would be a great career — 18 years in the NFL.’ I learned a lot and it’s been such a great love for me. I love the sport. I love the competition. I love my teammates. I love working with people I love to work with.

"That part is really hard to give up, especially when I feel like I can do it and I look around the league and I see these other quarterbacks and I’m thinking, ‘Man, I can do what they do.’ I want to continue to do it the best I can because it really brings a lot of joy to my life.”

Bundchen has hinted that she wants her husband to step away from the game. Last offseason, she even reportedly tried to recruit former NFL kicker Jay Feely, who played with Brady at Michigan, to convince him to retire, but to no avail.

Still, Brady said his family will play a major role in the decision, whenever it may come.

“That will be a big part of it,” he said. "I think you can’t make decisions necessarily just for yourself. I think that’s one thing I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older. There’s collateral effects to every decision that I make. I have a wife that aspires to be a lot of things and she travels a lot. My oldest son lives in New York. Three kids and you’re just always trying to juggle. You want to be there for them. You want to be there for the hockey games and the soccer games, but you also realize the level of commitment it takes to give as much as you can to the team that needs you.”

Brady will make his next stop in the Big Apple at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday night.

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