New England Patriots legend Tom Brady made headlines recently when he said that many practice squad players "don’t want to be elevated" to an active roster because they "don’t want the pressure."
Cornerback Michael Jackson broke out in his seventh NFL season last year with the Carolina Panthers, recording 19 passes defended (tied for the most in the league) and a career-high four interceptions.
The 29-year-old had a long road to stardom though, failing to make the Dallas Cowboys in 2019 after being selected in the fifth round of that year's draft and playing just four games in his first three NFL seasons.
Jackson called out Brady for his comments, which he said, "struck a nerve."
"Because I was on practice squad!" the former said, according to a report by Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer. "(Brady) never spent a day on practice squad. I went and Googled just to make sure."
Jackson made his NFL debut with the Detroit Lions in Week 12 of the 2019 season and was traded to the Patriots in August 2020, five months after Brady left New England to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jackson bounced between the Patriots' active roster and practice squad but only appeared in one contest with the team.
"For you to sit there and say, ‘Well, all practice squad guys, they don’t want the pressure.’ Nah," the University of Miami product said, per Zietlow. "You’re giving us a bad name when you weren’t us. That’s like me saying that winning a Super Bowl doesn’t change your life. I can’t say that; I’ve never won a Super Bowl! So that struck a nerve."
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