- Terry Bradshaw, 76, has faced calls to retire from fans in recent years
NFL legend Terry Bradshaw has addressed the online criticism that he’s received over his Fox Sports broadcasting work, with the former Steelers star revealing that his wife hides negative comments from him.
Bradshaw, 76, has sparked concern among fans for his health, with the Hall of Famer at times stumbling over his words on air.
And ahead of this weekend’s Super Bowl, the four-time champion spoke about how he steers clear of any backlash.
‘I’m sensitive, so I don’t read anything about myself ever. My wife knows it. She keeps all the bad stuff away because it does come. I can handle it now, and I even calm her down. But be at peace with yourself, and don’t let people distract you,’ he said, while answering a question from Jameis Winston on dealing with scrutiny as a media member (Winston is working as a correspondent for Fox Sports Digital this week).
‘If you’re doing that, then you’re not strong enough to play quarterback, and you got to be strong enough right up here [your head] and right in here [your heart] to play quarterback,’ he continued.
‘Go talk to Tom Brady for a while. You listen to Tom Brady talk and you’ll go, ‘Okay, I see where they got it… You know, don’t let them take it away from you. How dare you let someone else take your dream from you. Shame on you. Jameis, you’re stronger than that.
Fox Sports’ Terry Bradshaw shared that he avoids reading negative comments online
Bradshaw, 76, has sparked concerns among fans for his health in recent seasons
Bradshaw has been criticized by fans in recent years over some on-air blunders.
He called for the Cleveland Browns to ‘put down’ struggling quarterback Deshaun Watson at one point, while viewers have also accused him of ‘slurring’ his words.
However, he advised Winston not to pay attention to any critics in the media.
‘Look, they can’t hurt you,’ he said. ‘All they can do is write about you and say bad things about you. Let them, who cares? What do you care? You’re gonna try to impress these people and make them like you? Don’t. Don’t worry about them liking you.
‘They’ll like you when you win. And then that’s it. Then you move on with your life. So don’t worry about them. I always say, they never made a tackle.’
Bradshaw on Thursday said at Fox Sports’ media day that he is targeting the 2029 Super Bowl for his retirement, when he will be 80 years old.
The former quarterback, who dealt with both bladder and skin cancer from 2021-22, touched on his health a day after New Orleans celebrated Terry Bradshaw day on Wednesday.
‘If I live long enough, I’m 76 now… Pittsburgh will probably give me a Terry Bradshaw Day when they find out I’m sick. I’ll have to be real sick.’
The Steelers legend also spoke about the ‘depression’ he dealt with after the conclusion of each season when he was playing.
‘I found it hard because I was tired,’ he said. ‘Emotionally, mentally, so hard to win a Super Bowl. Then you win one back to back… then you’re just like, ‘Ah man. Gotta do it again?’ And you’re just emotionally drained.
‘The minute the Super Bowl’s over with, I would always go in a deep depression, it would take me a couple weeks if not longer to get out of it,’ he continued. ‘And then I’d slowly work myself out of the dark hole. Then I’d start working out. I never would threw a football until June.’
