“If my golf ever started affecting my home life or the relationship I have with my wife or my son,” Scheffler said during a press conference at Royal Portrush, “that’s going to be the last day that I play out here for a living. I’d much rather be a great father than a great golfer.”

Scottie Scheffler just gave one of the best (and deepest) press conference answers ever heard. pic.twitter.com/SUIRKuLwgb

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 15, 2025

While many praised Scheffler’s perspective as grounded and emotionally mature, former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, widely regarded as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, offered a contrasting take in his latest 199 newsletter.

“Scottie said he’d rather be a better father and husband than a good golfer,” Brady wrote. “And my question is: why are those mutually exclusive?”

Brady, who famously juggled fatherhood with a grueling 23-season NFL career, argued that professional excellence can be a form of parenting in itself.

“Part of being a great father,” he continued, “is being a great example of doing what it takes to take care of your family.”

Brady dissected Scheffler’s comments and offered an alternative perspective rooted in his two-decade career as an elite athlete and father of three.

In a thoughtful reflection, Brady expanded on his belief that success in one arena can fuel success in another.

“Sure, they’re different blocks on the pyramid,” he wrote, “but they’re part of the same pyramid. They’re connected!”

That “pyramid” concept, a central metaphor in Brady’s essay, lays out how he views life’s priorities. At the top is the self (mental, emotional, and physical health), followed by one’s relationship with a partner, then children, career, extended family, hobbies, and community.

“The trick,” Brady explained, “is recognizing which aspect of your life is most pressing, from moment to moment, and then learning how to prioritize what it takes to be great in that aspect when it matters.”

The quarterback recalled his own experience grappling with success and fulfillment in a now-famous 2005 60 Minutes interview, when he questioned whether his three early Super Bowl wins were “all there is.”

“I was 27 years old. I was young,” Brady wrote. “My first son, Jack, wouldn’t be born for another year-and-a-half.” Like Scheffler, Brady said he felt the pull to find something deeper. But he emphasized that perspective doesn’t come overnight.

“I would figure it out, but it took time,” he wrote. “The lessons came in stages … I learned that it was the pursuit of excellence in each of these areas where I found the most joy, not in the achievements themselves. It was the process, not the outcome.”

Perhaps the most striking part of Brady’s response is how he attempted to redefine what it means to be a good father, not by being ever-present, but by being an intentional example.

Brady wrote, “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.”

He continued: “My dedication to the sport, 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 teaching, by example, what it takes to be really good at your job.”

In Brady’s eyes, bedtime stories and homework help are meaningful, but so is modeling commitment, resilience, and work ethic.

“Your children are watching everything,” he emphasized. “Reading bedtime stories and helping them with homework are not the only ways to be a great parent. 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.”

Brady wrapped his message with a larger takeaway: true fulfillment comes not from professional success alone, but from the daily pursuit of greatness across all areas of life.

“I’ve come to understand two things,” he wrote. “One: there is no one aspect of life that is so all-encompassing that it will provide the satisfaction you are looking for. And two: whatever level of satisfaction you are trying to achieve … it will almost never come in the moment. Sometimes it takes years.”

He concluded: “It’s never about the professional accomplishment itself. It’s about the pursuit of that accomplishment.”

Though Brady’s comments were not combative, they underscore a generational and philosophical divide. Scheffler, a 29-year-old new father, is making sense of priorities in real time. Brady, now 47, is looking backward, through the lens of decades of wins, setbacks, and personal growth.

NIKE PRAISED FOR PRO-FAMILY AD AFTER CRITICISM OVER WOKE ADS

Scheffler hasn’t responded directly to Brady’s comments.

“This is not a fulfilling life,” he said of the pro golf circuit. “It’s fulfilling from a sense of accomplishment, but not from the deepest places of your heart.”