In a revealing Amazon Prime documentary series set to air on Friday, NFL icon Tom Brady, a minority owner of Birmingham City, openly questions the work ethic of former manager Wayne Rooney during the latter’s brief and turbulent 83-day tenure at the club. The series sheds light on the awkward and strained dynamic between the two sports legends, highlighting a clash of expectations and cultures as Birmingham City navigated a challenging period under new ownership.
Amazon's new documentary, Built in Birmingham gives us a taste of the knowledge and insight NFL icon Tom Brady was able to pass on to Birmingham City's staff and player.
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) July 30, 2025
And also what he thought of former Blues boss Wayne Rooney...#BCFC@EliasBurke | https://t.co/AdcgQZFZX6 pic.twitter.com/VxUtO3DWAB
Brady’s Entry and Rooney’s Appointment
Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion and widely regarded as the greatest NFL player of all time, joined Birmingham City’s ownership group in August 2023, following a takeover by Knighthead Capital Management LLC. Just two months later, the club made the controversial decision to replace manager John Eustace with Rooney, a former England and Manchester United star, despite the team sitting sixth in the Championship. The move, as speculated by Blues fan Paul Collins in the documentary, appeared driven by the ownership’s desire to leverage Rooney’s fame to boost the club’s global profile, rather than his managerial credentials. Collins bluntly questions, “What qualifies Wayne to manage Birmingham City? Nothing.”
Tensions at the Training Ground
The documentary captures tense interactions between Brady and Rooney, particularly during Brady’s visit to the club’s Elite Performance and Innovation Centre in November 2023. Filmed conversations reveal a lack of alignment, with Rooney attempting to explain the cultural issues plaguing the team. He notes, “Why they’re playing in the Championship and not the Premier League is because... it’s a focus, concentrated for 90 minutes.” Brady, however, appears sceptical, later expressing concerns about Rooney’s “work ethic” to colleagues, admitting, “I don’t know, I don’t have great instincts on that.” His unease is compounded as he observes a training session, remarking, “We’ve got a long road ahead.”
Criticism and Relegation Fallout
Brady’s critical perspective extends beyond Rooney to the players, whom he labels “lazy and entitled” in the series, blaming them for the club’s eventual relegation to League One at the end of the 2023-24 season. This marked only the third time in Birmingham City’s history that they dropped out of English football’s top two tiers. Rooney, sacked after just 13 weeks with the club plummeting to 20th in the Championship, later stated that the timeframe was insufficient to implement necessary changes. The documentary suggests Brady and the ownership group underestimated the complexities of managing a football club, with Brady reflecting on advice to avoid “big, sweeping changes” that they ignored.
Birmingham City minority owner Tom Brady calls some of the club's players "lazy and entitled" as they suffered relegation in the 2023-24 season, in a new documentary series released this week. pic.twitter.com/AJQCrJhCma
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) July 30, 2025
Brady’s Learning Curve
The series also highlights Brady’s unfamiliarity with the club’s operations, including a humorous moment where his manager, Ben Rawitz, teases him for struggling to locate the training ground on a map. This underscores the steep learning curve Brady faced as a newcomer to football ownership, further complicating his relationship with Rooney, who was tasked with delivering results under intense scrutiny.
Recovery and Future Ambitions
Despite the rocky start, Birmingham City’s fortunes improved after Rooney’s departure. The club invested £30m in transfers, a record for League One, and went on to break the Football League record for the most points in a season, finishing top of League One with 111 points in 2024-25. However, the documentary makes clear that the early missteps, including the appointment of Rooney, contributed to a challenging first year under Brady’s ownership.
Lessons from a Rocky Partnership
The partnership between Brady and Rooney, though brief, reveals the complexities of blending high-profile figures from different sporting worlds. Brady’s critical remarks and Rooney’s struggle to adapt to the club’s challenges highlight a disconnect that ultimately contributed to Birmingham City’s difficult 2023-24 season. As the club looks to build toward its ambition of Premier League football, the lessons from this strained relationship may shape its future approach to leadership and management.
