Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Tom Brady roaster claims ex-football star’s anger at Robert Kraft joke was ‘100% real’

Brady told Jeff Ross off during the live comedy special after the comedian made a joke about the New England Patriots owner’s 2019 arrest

Inga Parkel
Thursday 09 May 2024 16:03 EDT
Comments
Tom Brady tells off Jeff Ross for joke about Robert Kraft at Netflix roast

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Comedian Andrew Schulz has claimed that Tom Brady’s response to Jeff Ross’s joke about New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft during Netflix’s live comedy special was “100 per cent real”.

Schulz’s comments contradict Ross’s recent remarks, in which he insisted that Brady was “having fun” when he told him off during the live Roast of Tom Brady special.

“When Tom checked Jeff Ross, I think that was 100% per cent real,” Schulz said on a new episode of the “Flagrant” interview series.

“The reason why I think it’s real is because they told us no jokes about happy endings with Bob Kraft,” he said, adding that he had a Bob Kraft joke lined up for his set. “But Tom asked us not to do anything with the massage s***.”

During Sunday’s (5 May) roast, Ross remembered the famous story of ex-quarterback Brady walking into Kraft’s office and telling him, “I’m the best decision your organisation has ever made,” when he was drafted into the team in 2000.

This received a huge applause from the audience before Ross delivered his punchline, “Would you like a massage?”

Ross was referring to the controversy surrounding Kraft and his 2019 arrest on misdemeanour charges of soliciting prostitution at a massage parlour. The Patriots owner was eventually cleared of the charges against him the following year after a Florida court barred video evidence from being released.

Tom Brady (left) and Jeff Ross during ‘The Roast of Tom Brady’
Tom Brady (left) and Jeff Ross during ‘The Roast of Tom Brady’ (Netflix)

Ross then blew a kiss to Kraft, who was seated in the audience, and said, “I love Robert Kraft”, but was cut off when Brady approached the roast podium.

The retired NFL star whispered to Ross, which was also picked up by his microphone, “Don’t say that s*** again.”

Of Ross’s Kraft joke, Schulz said: “This is the first comic that goes on!”

“It’s a live roast and it’s your night. [Brady] was ready to shut the whole thing down. That’s an alpha-ass move. For this guy, who basically let him go… Bob Kraft did not resign him and he still feels that kind of loyalty.”

Schulz continued: “Most people who get caught up in that moment are like, ‘I don’t want to ruin [the event],’

“But for him this s*** don’t matter. He said to [Kraft] those jokes weren’t going to be made and he agreed to come and then you broke the rule.”

The day after the live special, Ross appeared on The Rich Eisen Show, where he reacted to the suggestion that Brady was genuinely upset.

“Come on, come on, no way, no way. He was having fun. You know, it’s like that’s his dad. Robert Kraft is like a father figure to him, he was just showing his love for Robert Kraft,” Ross said. “And Robert Kraft loved it. We had a great talk afterwards. He was so happy that I gave him a shoutout and a salute. It was beautiful.”

The Roast of Tom Brady is streaming on Netflix.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in