Tom Brady has harsh reaction to former Patriots teammate after inquiring text

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady did not take too kindly to questions about his future in the NFL during a podcast appearance earlier this week, and former New England Patriots teammate Rob Ninkovich received a similar response when he sent a seemingly innocent text to the future Hall of Famer. 

Ninkovich, who spent the majority of his 11-year career in New England where he won two Super Bowls, addressed the Brady situation during an appearance Wednesday on ESPN’s “Keyshawn, JWill and Max” radio show. 

“I don’t know, I’ve been trying to investigate that… I’ve been trying to get some info out of that and I’m not getting anywhere with it,” he said of the quarterback’s future plans. 

EX-BUCCANEERS QUARTERBACK OFFERS HARSH TAKE ON TOM BRADY’S FUTURE: ‘HE’S A SHELL OF HIMSELF’

“And then, you know, I tried to be nice. Just hit up a friend and be like, ‘Hey, man, great season. Hope you’re recovering. You finished well. You still got it,’ and he responds, ‘Not according to your hard-hitting analysis.'”

“I was trying to be nice!” Ninkovich responded in shock. “I tried to think back, what did I say bad?” 

During his weekly appearance on the “Let’s Go!” podcast, Brady had a sharper reaction when asked about a possible timeline on his decision. 

“If I knew what I was going to f—ing do, I would’ve already f—ing done it,” he said. “I’m taking it a day at a time.”

The Bucs won the NFC South despite a season with no real consistency, an issue Brady often pointed out. However, their season came to an end in the wild-card round after a 31-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Brady could potentially sign with another team for next season, but the option of retiring and stepping into the broadcast booth is another real possibility. 

Tampa Bay enters the offseason with more than 20 players on the verge of becoming unrestricted free agents, including Brady. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.