Tom Brady explains why he's willing to put himself through his notoriously stringent diet
Yet while he serves his four-game suspension for his role in Deflategate, Brady doesn't sound like he's changing too much of his routine, particularly his famously strict diet.
While speaking to New York Magazine's Dayna Evans, Brady, who has delved into the specifics of his stringent eating habits before, explained why he puts himself through what would be nutritional hell for many others.
"I'm 39 and I get to play football for a living," Brady told Evans. "There are not a lot of people who get that chance. Part of that is because of the way that I treat my body."
He continued, explaining the importance of staying disciplined:
"There are not many people who get to play for as long as I have, and I want to be able to show the next generation of athletes that if you follow certain routines and you're disciplined in certain areas, then you could get to do this, too."
...
"Do you need to eat a cheeseburger every day to realize that you love a cheeseburger? Or could you eat it once a week … or once every two weeks … or once a month … or once every two months? ... I don't believe you could be a 39-year-old quarterback in the NFL and eat cheeseburgers every day. I want to be able to do what I love to do for a long time"
Of course, it's not as if cheeseburgers are the big items left off Brady's menu. He also revealed to Evans that he's never had a strawberry and doesn't plan to. This comes after Brady also said he's never tried coffee, that a personal treat is avocado ice cream, and his personal chef revealed that Brady won't eat nightshades, like tomatoes.
Brady has said, at different times, that he wants to play until he's 45 or play ten more seasons. While time and age will eventually take away his physical gifts, by treating his body like a temple, Brady is hoping to prolong his career past what any quarterback has done before.