Tom Brady has admitted the coronavirus pandemic has made it more difficult for him to adjust to life in Tampa Bay after he brought to an end his 20-year association with the New England Patriots earlier this year.
The 39-year-old quarterback signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March, having previously spent his entire NFL career with the Patriots, with whom he won six Super Bowls and 17 division championships – both records for a quarterback.
But his move to Florida has coincided with the pandemic, and taken Brady to a state that has struggled to contain the outbreak. Over the weekend, Florida surpassed 200,000 cases of coronavirus, leading to elements of lockdown being reintroduced.
"The biggest hurdle is a transition of moving my life from one area where I've been for 20 years to a different area," Brady said. "It's a big transition getting to know a new community albeit in some very unique times.
"Getting my personal life moved to a new place and entering into new professional relationships with people and having to do that over FaceTime or Zoom calls.
"I think we're all just trying to do the best we can do at this point. It's a unique experience for us all and everyone is trying to make it work the best they can."
Brady was speaking to mark the release of a new short film about his life, 'Born of a Dream: A boy from San Mateo', made in collaboration with IWC Schaffhausen and can be viewed on IWC.com. The film takes Brady back to his roots in California, tracking his progress through college in Michigan before his success in the NFL.
Brady said working on the film had reminded him of how far he had come in his career.
"There needs to be some naivety, not fully understanding the odds you would need to overcome to achieve some of these dreams," he said. "In my case there was very much a blessing that I never questioned those odds, I just stayed true to what my dream was."
Brady equated acting in the film with playing in the NFL.
"In both ways you're playing a role," he said. "I'm always playing a role on the team as well. I slip into a uniform.
"Over the course of a week we 'rehearse' a lot of plays, there's a lot of dress rehearsals and then the intensity of the moment, the performance where you can let your true authentic feelings show themselves.
"The difference is, if I screw up in the game I don't get a second chance."
