Chris Russo rips Fox for hyping Tom Brady’s return to Gillette

Appearing on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” on Tuesday, Brady reflected on what Sunday’s game will mean to him.

​“It’ll be certainly emotional,” Brady told Cowherd. “I mean, every inch of that stadium I’ve been through so many times, from the locker rooms to the meeting rooms, the fields. Just so many memorable plays in that stadium — big games, championship games, rivalry games, division-clinching games.

“So to be back there and to really understand what that Patriot organization is all about, and to convey that to the fans in a way where I’m not talking about myself? I’m really talking about this awesome program that’s been built, and the Patriots just always seem to do things the right way.​”

Despite Brady’s enthusiasm — one that might be shared by many Patriots fans watching Sunday’s broadcast — ESPN pundit and former New York radio host Chris Russo vented about Fox’ focus on Brady’s return over the actual matchup of Maye vs. Love.

“Number one — he played there as a Buc. So the idea now that this is a big deal that Tom’s in the booth and he’s doing the game, and that’s a good game at 4:25 on Sunday afternoon,” Russo said. “And Fox’s promotion all week is the fact that, ‘Tom Brady’s going back to Foxborough. This is going to be fun.’ Who the hell cares? Call the game on the moon! I mean, this is the dumbest thing in the world. And it’s not Tom’s fault. He didn’t ask for this.

“But how is Fox thinking we’re gonna promote Jordan Love, Drake Maye, Packers/Patriots, 4:25 Sunday afternoon — we’re gonna tell the whole country to make sure you watch because Tom’s calling the game. He’s not going down on the field! Patriot fans couldn’t care less. They don’t know who Tom Brady is, half of them, because they got Maye at quarterback, and they’re half in the bag when they go into the game at 4:25, and he’s in a secluded booth with the windows closed.”

As Russo noted, Brady returned to Foxborough as a member of the Buccaneers on Oct. 3, 2021 — the season after the future Hall of Famer won his seventh Super Bowl (and only one with Tampa Bay).

Brady also returned to Gillette for New England’s season opener against the Eagles in September 2023, back in June 2024 for his Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony, and in August 2025 for the unveiling of his statue just outside of the stadium. 

​Even if Russo isn’t all that enthused by Brady’s return, Maye expressed excitement about the legendary QB making another stop in Foxborough — although he added that he may not be able to speak with him before the game gets underway because of his other football commitments.

​“What a legend to come back here, and it’s definitely cool for him, I bet, to come back and call a game in the stadium where he won so many games and was a legend in this stadium,” Maye said on Wednesday. “Really, him, the fans, and their teams built Gillette into what it is now. I’m not even sure we’re allowed to talk to him in production because he’s with the Raiders.

“But it’s always cool to see,” Maye added. “You don’t hear much back from the TV copies. You don’t really watch much of my own TV copies unless it’s little things of, if I said anything that I think could hurt us. But really other than that, I know he hangs out around the field sometimes, so you just try to go appreciate him for what he left here, and that’s really about it.”

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.