Tom Brady breaks his silence on shock exit from Birmingham City as NFL legend posts heartfelt statement

Tom Brady claims investing in Birmingham City was ‘one of the most rewarding journeys’ of his life as he addressed his shock exit from the Championship club for the first time.

It was revealed on Monday that the NFL legend had sensationally quit Birmingham just three years after joining as a minority investor.

In a statement, posted to Instagram on Tuesday, Brady paid tribute to Blues fans, players and manager Chris Davies.

‘Being part of Birmingham City Football Club the last three years has been one of the most rewarding journeys of my life,’ he wrote.

‘Thank you to the players, Chris Davies and his staff, the front office, and to everyone working behind the scenes, whose commitment I saw up close at every level of the club. 

‘Most of all, thank you to the people of Birmingham. Your passion, your loyalty, and the way you show up for this club through every high and every hard day are what make it so special. I’ll always be rooting for your success. Keep Right On.’

Tom Brady said investing in Birmingham City was ‘one of [his] most rewarding journeys’ 

It was revealed on Monday that the NFL legend had sensationally quit the Championship club

His comments came after the Blues said in a statement on Monday night: ‘Birmingham City Football Club expresses its sincere gratitude to Tom Brady for his involvement with and unwavering support for the club over the last three years.

‘It was amazing to have someone with Tom’s experience and passion associated with the club, and the club looks forward to continuing on that foundation from the training ground to the Birmingham community.’

The seven-time Super Bowl winner joined Birmingham as a minority investor as part of a takeover spearheaded by billionaire Tom Wagner’s Knighthead Capital in the summer of 2023. 

Brady’s presence in English football was detailed in a five-part documentary on the new ownership’s plan to revamp the Midlands club, titled: ‘Built in Birmingham: Brady and the Blues’. 

Within the Amazon series, Brady notably questioned Wayne Rooney‘s work ethic after hiring him to replace John Eustace. 

The fly-on-the-wall documentary showed Brady visiting the Birmingham training ground to observe Rooney’s team meeting and training session. While driving away, he tells his business manager Ben Rawitz: ‘I’m a little worried about our head coach’s work ethic.’

Rawitz replies: ‘Comes across as lackadaisical.’ Rooney was sacked after 83 days in charge.

The documentary later saw Brady admit his error in replacing Eustace with the former England international and reveal that he was warned against making ‘sweeping changes’ so early in his time with the club. 

‘I had good advice, “Don’t go in there and make sweeping changes. You guys have time”,’ said Brady. ‘But we made sweeping changes that put us in decline. That was our doing.’

In a statement on Instagram, Brady paid tribute to fans, players and manager Chris Davies [Source: Instagram/@tombrady]

He hired Wayne Rooney as manager but the former England captain was sacked 83 days later

Under the aegis of Brady and Knighthead Capital, Birmingham City have launched what the group see as a 20-year megaproject, with £3 billion ($4 billion) earmarked for investment in a ‘Sports Quarter’ in the city. 

The 48-acre site in the east of the city is set to feature a new 60,000-seater stadium and training ground above a network of underground transport tunnels. 

But since the plan was announced, there have been some wrinkles with the timeline – pushing the stadium’s completion deadline from 2029 to 2031. 

Daily Mail Sport understands that London-based architects Heatherwick Studio – in conjunction with Kansas City-based Manica – are set to work on a design with a ‘chimney theme’ in a nod to the city’s industrial heritage. 

Peaky Blinders creator and famous Bluenose Steven Knight is believed to be working with the team to ensure it is ‘one of the most-talked about stadium designs ever’. 

Last season, Brady had promised promotion to the Premier League. The club are top of the Championship going into the last international break of the year, though he has departed before they can reach the top flight again.