Tom Brady has a lesson on priorities for family-minded Scottie Scheffler

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Scottie Scheffler gained plenty of notice this month for the soul-baring comments he delivered shortly before the British Open. The top golfer in the world told reporters that pursuing his profession was “not a fulfilling life” and that he would quit competitive play if it “started affecting my home life.”

Among those who took an interest in Scheffler’s comments was Tom Brady.

While the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback could understand Scheffler’s apparent lack of personal fulfillment from attaining huge success, Brady wrote in an essay, he took issue with Scheffler’s prioritization of family over golf.

“My dedication to the sport,” Brady said Tuesday in his weekly 199 newsletter, “the hours of practice, the moments when I was laser focused — those were times when I believe I was doing the best possible thing for my family and my kids, by prioritizing my profession and teaching, by example, what it takes to be really good at your job, what it takes to follow through on commitments, what it takes to be a great teammate; and showing them, also by example, that work is a big part of all of our lives.”

Brady, 47, was reacting to remarks Scheffler made at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. Scheffler would go on to earn his first British Open title, but he was already on a massively successful run, including two Masters green jackets, a third major win at the PGA Championship, an Olympic gold medal, a FedEx Cup conquest and a lengthy grip on the No. 1 ranking.

Having indicated in the past, though, that he saw more to life than victory on the links, Scheffler was asked at Royal Portrush about the longest he had “ever celebrated something.” Scheffler began his expansive response by recalling his dominant win in May at his hometown tournament, the Dallas-area Byron Nelson.

“I literally worked my entire life to become good at golf to have an opportunity to win that tournament,” said the former Texas Longhorn, 29, who spent his early childhood in New Jersey. “You win it, you celebrate, get to hug my family, my sister’s there – it’s such an amazing moment. Then it’s like, ‘Okay, what are we going to eat for dinner?’ Life goes on.

“Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf?” Scheffler continued. “Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it … but at the end of the day, it’s like, I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world, because what’s the point? This is not a fulfilling life.”

That part of Scheffler’s answer “resonated” with Brady, the latter wrote Tuesday, because the ex-quarterback “had a similar experience around his age.”

Brady touched on a 2005 interview he gave to 60 Minutes in which, having won three Super Bowls by 27, he wondered aloud: “There’s got to be more than this … What else is there for me?”

To that point, Brady had yet to have his first child. Scheffler’s comments, on the other hand, could have been informed by welcoming a son last year with his wife, Meredith. Brady wrote that the golfer’s remarks reflected “a young athlete trying to make sense of success without the benefit of the perspective that comes with years of experience.”

Now, with three children and myriad accomplishments in the football and business worlds, Brady felt ready to impart the principal lesson of his experience.

“We all have different parts of our lives. You can think of them like a pyramid,” Brady wrote. “At the top is yourself, and your physical, mental, and emotional health. Then there’s the relationship with your significant other or partner. Then you have your children, then your work, then your extended family, your friends, your hobbies, and finally your greater community.”

Scheffler’s comments in Northern Ireland suggested that he might not be putting himself, let alone his golfing exploits, at the top of his priorities.

“Every day when I wake up early to go put in the work, my wife thanks me for going out and working so hard,” he said. “When I get home, I try and thank her every day for taking care of our son. That’s why I talk about family being my priority, because it really is. I’m blessed to be able to come out here and play golf, but if my golf ever started affecting my home life or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or my son, that’s going to be the last day that I play out here for a living. …

“This is not the be all, end all. This is not the most important thing in my life,” Scheffler added. “That’s why I wrestle with, ‘Why is this so important to me?’ Because I’d much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer.”

Brady wrote, “And my question is: why are those mutually exclusive? Sure, they’re different blocks on the pyramid, but they’re part of the same pyramid. They’re connected!

“For instance,” Brady continued, “I think part of being a great father is being a great example of doing what it takes to take care of your family. I chose to do it by playing football.”

Brady’s 13-year marriage to Gisele Bündchen ended in a 2022 divorce. At times, she declared a strong preference that he retire from football for the sake of his physical well-being.

Brady took Scheffler’s comments as an opportunity to remind his readership that “your children are watching everything,” including how hard parents work to perfect their respective crafts.

“They see what you do in every aspect of your life and how you do it. Reading bedtime stories and helping them with homework are not the only ways to be a great parent,” Brady wrote. “And neither is winning Super Bowls or MVPs. Being a great football player didn’t make me a great dad, but how I became a great player certainly had an impact – from showing up day in and day out, to doing whatever it took to get better, be successful, be a role model, and to provide.”