James White on ‘hardest’ adjustment awaiting Tom Brady at Fox

James White has carved out a successful broadcasting career since hanging up his spikes in 2022.

The three-time Super Bowl champion not only serves as a college football analyst on the Big Ten Network, but is also a host on Sirius XM’s “The Opening Drive.”

White is far from the only former Patriot who has made a successful transition from the field to the broadcast booth, but he did stress that there are plenty of growing pains that come with the switch in professions. 

The former New England running back noted that Tom Brady might have to learn on the fly in his upcoming role as the lead NFL analyst on Fox — especially when it comes to assessing players through a critical lens.   

“It’s hard to speak about people that you’ve played with or coaches that have coached you,” White said on MassLive’s “Eye on Foxborough” podcast. “It’s definitely hard to be critical of them just because you’ve obviously been on the other side of things, sharing the same locker room or sharing the same building with them. So I’d say just be cautious when it comes to that, just knowing how you would feel if somebody you know was speaking about you.

“But at the same time, you gotta be real as well. You can’t sugar coat it. If they’re not doing what they’re supposed to be doing, then say that, which, I think he’ll be very blunt… he’s pretty critical already of some of the younger generation and some of these younger quarterbacks, what they can get away with versus what he could get away with when he was playing a little bit earlier in his career. So I think it’ll be just finding that balance. That’s the hardest thing about being in the media.”

Brady will be one of many former Patriots who will be either in the broadcast booth or studio set for the upcoming 2024 NFL season, including White, Rob Gronkowski (Fox), Julian Edelman (Fox), and Devin McCourty (NBC).

Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will also make the switch to broadcasting in 2024, with the future Hall of Famer contributing to in Peyton and Eli Manning’s Monday Night Football “Manningcast” on ESPN. 

When asked who he’s most interested in hearing from in their new role, between Brady and Belichick ,White went with his former quarterback. 

“It’s tough. I guess, I would watch Tom’s because I’ve sat in Bill Belichick’s meetings where he’s covering it for eight years,” White said. “So, yeah, I’d probably listen to Tom just to hear how he breaks down other people.”