Tom Brady Felt 'Very Fortunate' To Play For Bill Belichick

Tom Brady took some time to tip his cap to his former coach, Bill Belichick, and once again shot down rumors of a possible NFL return.

Brady touched on these and many other topics during a series of interviews on Thursday.

In an interview with ESPN's Sportscenter, Brady said he felt "very fortunate" to have played under Belichick for the bulk of his 23-year NFL career.

"He very much trusted what I was out there doing in the field, and it went both ways. Ultimately our success was because so many people in the organization, as coach Belichick always said, 'do your job,' and I did as quarterback and leader," Brady said. He also noted how he "learned so much" from Belichick.

Tom Brady's playing days are behind him, but he says he hopes to stick around the NFL in different ways. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Brady Hopes To Stay Involved With The NFL In Different Capacities

In the same interview, Brady talked about how he hopes to stay involved with the league in other capacities. Specifically, he talked about how he hopes his role as a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders will let him do that.

As far as how he'll feel when NFL games get underway, Brady said there's one thing he'll be relieved about.

"I won't have Aaron Donald trying to chase me down and knock me out," he said.

The GOAT was doing the media rounds that day because he also spoke to Sports Illustrated. In that interview, he was once again asked about whether he had plans to return to the field.

"I'm certain I'm not playing again, so I've tried to make that clear and I hate to continue to profess that, 'cause I've already told people that lots of times," he told them.

So, that sounds like a pretty definitive "no."

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