Jim Gray on Tom Brady’s Expletive-Filled Answer on Retirement: ‘He Was Just Having Fun’

Also in Traina Thoughts: NFL divisional round ratings; people aren’t happy with Eli Apple; NFL changes its mind and much more.

1. Tom Brady caused a major stir on his SiriusXM radio show, Let’s Go! Monday night when he answered a question from cohost Jim Gray about his future.

“Tom, you’re leaving everybody guessing,” said Gray. “You said you’ll take your time. Do you have any type of a timetable as to what you might want to do regarding your football career?”

“Jim, if I knew what I was gonna f---ing do, I’d already [have] f---ing done it,” answered Brady. “I’m taking it a day at a time.”

The actual audio of @TomBrady telling Jim Gray, “If I knew what I was going to fucking do I would’ve already fucking done it,” on his SiriusXM isn’t nearly as bad as the clickbait headlines want you to believe. pic.twitter.com/iNWmgCwyxo

— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) January 24, 2023

Naturally the internet went wild, and that line was promoted by every blog, news outlet and website with analysis of Brady’s mood. “Annoyed,” “salty,” “angry” and “pissed” were just some of the adjectives used by sites to describe the GOAT’s mood.

However, I spoke to Jim Gray on Tuesday, and he painted a totally different picture.

“We were just having fun,” Gray said about the exchange. “He was just having fun.”

Gray added, “I hate to disappoint everyone, but there was nothing to it.”

I asked Gray whether he had discussed with Brady before the show that he would ask about his future.

“No, he doesn’t know what’s coming," said Gray.

“We do have conversations or texts about who’s coming on or what’s going on or what we think, and this was pretty obvious," added Gray. "We hadn’t spoken to him since Monday night since that loss, so it’s kind of obvious what we’re going to discuss. But, no, we didn’t go over that, but you would expect that the audience would anticipate that we would have some sort of an update on if he had a decision or when he might make one.”

Gray again reiterated that the future Hall of Famer wasn’t upset about the question and even weighed in on Brady’s penchant for using a naughty word here and there.

“There’s no controversy here,” said Gray. “It’s nothing. If you listen, Tom curses from time to time. It’s always in good fun. It’s not to be untoward or derogatory.”

Before we ended the conversation, I asked Gray whether he feels like Brady should make the announcement about his future on Let’s Go!

“Not at all,” Gray said. “It’s entirely up to him. He’s got a lot of things to think about. He’s got an organization. He’s got teammates. He has his family. There’s a whole long list of folks and priorities, so, no I don’t feel like there’s any obligation or requirement. He’s great to the show. And last year, where did he answer all the questions? On the show.”

2. Here are the viewership numbers for the four divisional round playoff games.

Cowboys-49ers, Fox: 45.6 million

Bengals-Bills, CBS: 39.3 million

Jaguars-Chiefs, NBC: 32.3 million

Giants-Eagles, Fox: 28.6 million

3. Bengals cornerback Eli Apple is not a great player yet trash-talks like a great player, and a lot of people aren’t happy about that.

You played a good game @EliApple but disrespect my boy @HamlinIsland situation that shit get you beat up frfr. Keep it on the field.

— Shaq Lawson (@Shaq_Lawson90) January 24, 2023

🌽 clout chasing

— DIGGS (@stefondiggs) January 24, 2023

If Eli Apple’s game matched his Twitter swagger dude would be a Hall of Famer. The highest level of pettiness. Lol

— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) January 24, 2023

Eli Apple is my favorite NFL villain. He is petty as hell and every single wide receiver hates him. That is hard work 😂

— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) January 24, 2023

4. Last Friday, I wrote about the NFL’s petty move to keep Barstool’s Bussin’ With the Boys podcast, hosted by current player Taylor Lewan and former player Will Compton, off Radio Row at the Super Bowl. It turns out the NFL has now reversed its decision.

Some great news. The war is over.

The boys are now getting credentialed at Radio Row during Super Bowl week. pic.twitter.com/uqTNbHolMr

— Will Compton (@_willcompton) January 23, 2023

5. Monday Night Raw held a 30th-anniversary episode last night in Philadelphia, which meant that Paul Heyman was going to bash the Eagles to rile up the crowd. And it worked to perfection.

OH NO HE DIDN'T!@HeymanHustle just gave a shoutout to @brockpurdy13 and the @49ers in Philadelphia at #RawXXX! pic.twitter.com/DrKRjjcc36

— WWE (@WWE) January 24, 2023

6. The latest SI Media Podcast features a conversation with former Super Bowl champion and current podcast host Chris Long.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.

You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: As I told you yesterday, in honor of the Royal Rumble this Saturday, I’m going to feature memorable videos from one of the WWE signature events in this space all week. Today, let’s remember the time Vince McMahon tore BOTH his quads while running to the ring at the 2005 Rumble.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.