Wayne Rooney 'disappointed' with Tom Brady over work ethic comments in documentary

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LONDON (AP) — England soccer great Wayne Rooney has some beef with Tom Brady after some pointed comments by the NFL superstar in a fly-on-the-wall documentary.

Brady became a minority owner of English club Birmingham City in 2023 and was involved in a docuseries — “Built in Birmingham” — that went behind the scenes at the team that was briefly managed by Rooney, the former Manchester United forward.

In one clip that quickly spread over social media, Brady said he was “a little worried about our head coach’s work ethic.” That remark referred to Rooney, who lasted just 83 days as manager before being fired as Birmingham slipped down the second-tier Championship.

Rooney has responded to the seven-time Super Bowl champion in his new role as a pundit for the BBC, saying Brady’s comment was “very unfair.”

“Tom came in once, which was the day before a game, which is a little bit lighter anyway,” Rooney said in an interview with the BBC published on Thursday, “and I don’t think he really understood football that well at the time. Maybe he does now.

“But what he does understand is that he’s a hard worker. We know that. So that’s why I’m really disappointed with the comment, because football is not NFL. NFL works for three months in a year, players do need rest as well, so I think he was very unfair in the way he’s come out and portrayed that.”

Birmingham was relegated in that campaign but secured immediate promotion last season and is back in the Championship — one league away from the Premier League.

“Listen, I respect Tom Brady massively — he’s one of the greatest, if not the greatest athlete of all time,” Rooney said. “And Birmingham do look like they are getting it right now, which is good.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer