Tom Brady was a great sport Sunday night.
He endured jokes about his divorce, his business decisions, his love life, his multiple retirements, his former teammates, his ex-wife, his healthy lifestyle and much more, all with a smile on his face.
And that was just in the first 20 minutes of “The Roast of Tom Brady” at the Kia Forum that aired live on Netflix.
However, one joke apparently crossed the line where Brady was concerned, and the seven-time Super Bowl champion wasn't even the butt of that particular joke. The target was New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, the man who signed Brady's paychecks for the first 20 years of his 23-year NFL career.
After host Kevin Hart opened the show with a blistering monologue: “Why didn't we go to the Crypto.com Arena downtown? Well, the reason we didn't go there is because we didn't want to remind Tom's fans how much money he owes them”; comedian and roast celebrity Jeff Ross kept the hits going. He talked about how Brady was selected in the sixth round with the 199th pick of the 2000 NFL draft “when Bill Belichick's dog accidentally stepped on the keyboard.”
“So Tom became a Patriot,” Ross said, “moved to New England and on the first day of training camp, that skinny rookie walked into owner Robert Kraft's office and said, 'I'm the best decision you've ever made.' taken your organization'. It has never been done. Do you want a massage?'”
The joke was a reference to Kraft's 2019 arrest on charges of soliciting a prostitute for sex during an encounter at a Florida spa. Kraft pleaded not guilty and the charges were dropped the following year after his lawyers prevented video and audio footage from being used as evidence in court.
As the crowd laughed and Ross blew a kiss in Kraft's direction, Brady could be seen shifting in his seat behind and to the comedian's right. The camera showed a close shot of Ross, who said, “I love Robert Kraft.”
Brady then approached Ross. The NFL's all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown passes had a small smile on his face, but his tone was very serious as he leaned over and told Ross: “Don't say that s–t.” .. again”.
When Brady returned to his seat, Ross laughed, threw up his hands and said, “Okay, okay!” He pointed in Kraft's direction and said, “She's having fun, look at him.” As Ross added some heartfelt words of praise for Kraft, the Patriots owner appeared smiling in the crowd.
Brady didn't seem to hold a grudge and could be seen laughing throughout the rest of Ross' performance. The two men hugged and talked after Ross's performance, a scene that Hart mocked by implying that Ross was kissing the GOAT. “I heard you over there,” Hart said. “'Tom, are you okay? Yeah? Your hair is so straight.'”
Brady absorbed much more criticism throughout the night without feeling the need to intervene again.
