Tom Brady speaks on Rooney’s time as Birmingham coach as he questions former Man United striker’s work ethic.
Tom Brady queries Rooney’s ‘work ethic’ at Birmingham.
During Wayne Rooney’s time as manager of Birmingham City, where Brady owns a minority stake, NFL legend Tom Brady has questioned Rooney’s mindset.
In a new Amazon Prime documentary series, due to air on Friday, seven-time Super Bowl winner Brady tells colleagues: “I’m a little worried about our head coach’s work ethic,” before adding: “I mean, I don’t know, I don’t have great instincts on that.”
After visiting the Blues’ training facility in November 2023, Brady—who also refers to the team’s players as “lazy and entitled” in the series—made his remarks against Rooney.
Conversations captured on camera between the former quarterback and Rooney, who was manager at the time, seem uneasy.
In one conversation, the former Manchester United and Everton striker shares with his boss some of the club’s perceived culture issues.
“Why they’re playing in the Championship and not the Premier League,” Rooney says, “is because… we’ve all passed a ball, kicked the ball and run, but it’s a focus, concentrated for 90 minutes.”
The former quarterback, who is regarded as the greatest player in NFL history, acquired a minority stake in the team in August 2023 after Knighthead Capital Management LLC, which was co-founded by investor Tom Wagner, took over the previous month.
After seven managers in ten months, the team was demoted to League One in the first year under its new ownership.
The Blues were in sixth place in the Championship when Rooney controversially fired manager John Eustace two months after Brady’s arrival in 2023.
Rooney was only in command of St Andrew’s for 83 days, though, as the team fell to 20th place in the standings.