Jeff Ross on What Really Happened During Tense Tom Brady Roast Moment

Jeff Ross spoke to The Rich Eisen Show on Monday, clearing the air about Tom Brady’s viral rebuke after a joke Ross made about Patriots owner Robert Kraft during Brady’s Netflix roast, which aired live on Sunday night.

During The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady, Ross made a joke alluding to Kraft’s bust as part of a prostitution sting at a Massachusetts massage parlor in 2019. Kraft was arrested on charges of soliciting sex, but they were later dropped.

Ross recalled the famous story in which Brady told Kraft, "I’m the best decision your organization has ever made,” upon being drafted, ending the bit with Brady asking Kraft, “Would you like a massage?” As Brady shifted uncomfortably, Ross blew a kiss to Kraft.

Brady then stood and approached the comedian at the mic. “Don’t say that s--t again,” the GOAT told Ross sternly.

But Ross—the RoastMaster General and heir to Don Rickles’ brand of lacerating humor—told Eisen that Brady was just playing along with the raunchy format.

“Come on, come on, no way, no way,” Ross protested, denying that Brady was actually mad over the remark, which was innocuous compared to other hits the former QB (and his friends) took on the dais. “He was having fun,” he said of Brady.

“Tom loves the roast. He’s a student of the roasts,” Ross continued. “If you love the roast…everyone wants to be the center of attention, even when there is a target on their back. It’s all about him for three hours.”

Ross had been trying to get Brady to participate in a roast for quite some time before Sunday’s telecast came to fruition. “After he won the last Super Bowl, I hit him up. He was into it right away,” Ross said. “We made a deal, but then he un-retired.”

Ross went on to explain why Brady may have felt it necessary to reprimand Ross, even if he didn’t necessarily object to the massage joke.

“You know, it’s like, that’s his dad,” Ross continued. “Robert Kraft is like a father figure to him, he was just showing his love for Robert Kraft.”

Ross also claimed that Kraft himself approved of the barb. The team owner was certainly having fun on Sunday, at one point even demanding his Super Bowl ring back from Vladimir Putin.

“Robert Kraft loved it. We had a great talk afterward,” Ross asserted. “He was so happy that I gave him a shoutout and a salute. It was beautiful.”

Of the roast itself, Ross enthused, “It was worth the wait. [Brady] was loose and fun. I feel like we won an election or something.”

The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady is currently streaming on Netflix. You can watch Ross’ full Rich Eisen interview below.