Tom Brady’s ‘Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Fear Itself’ Raises Eyebrows

Tom Brady quoted President Franklin Delano Roosevelt but wound up sounding more like President Donald Trump.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback on Thursday posted a version of FDR’s famous quote, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” after his team worked out privately again.

The NFL Players Association has recommended that players avoid practicing together as the coronavirus pandemic surges.

Brady and the Bucs are not the only team holding informal workouts before training camps are scheduled to open next month ― and he has not commented on the intent of his post.

But his message has been interpreted by media outlets as an ill-timed public act of defiance against critics who say he shouldn’t be working out in a group. Given Florida’s record number of COVID-19 cases, it’s not a good look.

The union’s medical director told players to avoid football gatherings “to have all players and your families as healthy as possible in the coming months.”

Brady’s post suggests that he takes a dismissive attitude toward the warning — much like a prominent associate of his.

Trump has continued to downplay the virus’s risk and has refused to wear a mask despite the recommendations of his own task force doctors.

Brady flouted pandemic laws when he first moved to the area and tried to work out at a public park before being thrown out. And now this.

HuffPost has reached out to Brady and the Buccaneers for comment.