Tom Brady urges players to 'stand together' in CBA negotiations

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady sounded a rallying cry to players across the NFL on Thursday night, calling for them to band together in the coming years during negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.

"I actually think it's a great opportunity for the players to come together and the players to recognize all the things we have negotiated, and as we negotiate hopefully a CBA extension, that we as players come together to really stand up for the things we believe in and continue to fight just as the players who fought before us," Brady told host Jim Gray in a pregame radio interview on Westwood One before Thursday night's NFL opener.

Brady's remarks came when he was asked about the current system and if any part of him was upset about certain rights being negotiated away.With five more seasons under the current CBA, there hasn't been any movement toward an extension at this time.

"I have great respect for the guys that fought to stand up for the rights of the players, just as myself and certain players did in 2011," he said on the program. "I know there will need to be great leadership from the players moving forward. It definitely is a business. The players need to understand what's collectively bargained and put all the issues on the table to make for a better game. I think that's what all the fans would want."

Brady said he thinks the system "can always be improved."

"Not just for my situation, because my situation is obviously in the past. But for everybody's situation in the future, I think we as players need to stand together, so collectively we can be as strong as possible, and the NFL can continue to thrive and be the great game it is."