English soccer legend Wayne Rooney has responded to Tom Brady's comments in which the former NFL quarterback questioned Rooney's work ethic.
Brady joined Birmingham City's ownership group in August 2023, meaning he was around when Rooney was hired as the club's manager in October 2023. Rooney was fired 83 days later in January 2024.
Some comments Brady made about Rooney came to light in the Amazon Prime Video docuseries "Built in Birmingham: Brady & the Blue"s released earlier this month.
"I'm a little worried about our head coach's work ethic," he said. "I mean, I don't know, I don't have great instincts on that."
Brady also called the team's players "lazy and entitled."
This week, Rooney responded to the comments on his podcast, "The Wayne Rooney Show."
"I saw that last week from Tom Brady. I think it was a very unfair comment,"Rooney said. "When I went into Birmingham, they was in a mess, really. Hence, the fact that the players weren't really the players who could take the club forward.
"I think Tom came in once, which was the day before a game where the days are a little bit lighter anyway, and I don't think he really understood football that well at that time. Maybe he does now.
But what he does understand is, he's a hard worker. We know that. So that's why I'm very disappointed with the comment, because football is not the NFL. NFL works for three months a year. Players do need rest as well, so I think it was very unfair, the way he's come out and portrayed that."
Rooney most recently spent May 2024 to December 2024 as manager of manager of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle.