BOSTON (CBS) -- Tom Brady has a lot of fans. But he's also got plenty of haters.

That kind of comes with the territory whenever you're an athlete, but especially when you're an athlete who has found so much success in your profession. No matter how great an underdog story might be initially, sports fans generally can only take so much before the anointed Golden Boy becomes too much to take.

If there's anyone who uniquely understand that, it would of course be Brady. From battling Drew Henson for collegiate playing time, to getting drafted 199th, to sitting fourth on the depth chart before getting a starting role and winning a Super Bowl, Brady's classic American story has become a bit worn out to many sports fans who are simply tired of seeing him succeed.

But despite that heavy level of criticism that always surrounds him -- both on and off the field -- Brady explained Tuesday on WEEI's Kirk & Callahan that it's all part of the package of being a pro athlete, and that if you want the good, you have to accept the bad.

"I don't watch TV much, so I really don't [hear too much]. Part of being a professional athlete is you're dealing with lots of different things, and lots of criticisms," Brady said. "Obviously you have a lot of people that support you, but you also have a lot of people that kind of cheer for other teams. And if you don't come to grips with that then you're in the wrong profession. ... So most Americans that live in other parts of the country, they don't like the Patriots, they don't like me. I can understand that. I was a 49er fan at one point. They want to see their team win, and when they don't, I think they gotta direct that frustration somewhere else. And when you've been successful like our team's been, I think frustration gets directed at us, and that's just part of it. You have to understand that's what you're getting into."

Such has, of course, been the case numerous times before in various sports. But Brady noted Tuesday that the lack of an Olympic stage or World Cup type of atmosphere has likely led to fewer people around the country changing their tune on Brady.

"I think it's a different part about football, for example, in America, I mean, we never, if you look at a lot of sports around the world, at some point maybe you get to represent your country," Brady said. "Like watching the World Cup in the summer, I see all these soccer players that play for these different clubs but then come together for their country at some point. In America, we never get a chance to do that."

Considering Brady is arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, it was interesting to hear him explain what motivates him. The answer came when he was asked if he is driven to beat other people.

"I really enjoy the competition. I think I've always thought about the approach of being my very best, and my motivation comes from not letting my teammates down. I know how much people put into it, our coaches, teammates, to have a great successful season. And we work year-round for it. So I don't want to be the reason why we aren't successful," he said. "For me I guess it's probably not about watching other people lose. That's not what I think about. It's about getting the best out of myself, and hopefully that's good enough on a particular day. And if it's not, then it's not. You give the other team credit for doing what they had to do to win, and being in sports, you don't win every game. I don't think this is like the Harlem Globetrotters and the Washington Generals. You've gotta play really tough competition, and that's part of it."

Brady's interview took place during WEEI and NESN's Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon. The fundraising effort raises money for cancer research and treatment, and Brady discussed how such areas obviously impacted his and his family's lives during his mother's battle with cancer, as well as what he learned during that period.

"You see firsthand how everyone deals with different adversities. And you deal with different things, but nothing like life or death. And that's ultimately what really matters in life. You don't sweat the small things in life -- at least I try not to. You think about the big things, and that's people you love and care about, the things that they're going through and how they're managing the adversities and stress in their life. And that's really put to the test, at least our family was at different times in this particular instance with my mom. But my dad was just there for my mom every step of the way, my sisters who are more in close proximity to my mom, they were just there for mom whatever she needed. And I think that's great in some ways for families to come together in different instances. Sometimes it takes big things like that for people to come together and for people to spend more time and quality time and say, 'God, why are we taking these things for granted?' And I think when you go through it, you don't take those things for granted as much as you do when you haven't experienced those things before."

He also talked about now-former teammate Nate Solder, whose son has had to endure his own cancer battle in recent years.

"He's such an incredible man and person," Brady said of Solder. "He's a man of great faith and he's just, I think the way he handled it, everyone admired and respected him that much more. He's already such a great human being, and then to see how he dealt with it and is dealing with it, and his family, I couldn't imagine dealing with it any better. We pray for him and we think about him, and we all care deeply about him and his situation.

Brady didn't shy away from the question when asked if he'll miss Solder.

"Absolutely," he said. "I mean, I've been lucky. I've played with a lot of guys, and I think that particular position, there's a deep connection. I think at center, there's a deep connection, and left tackle. And having Nate there for as long as I did, someone I could always count on, rely on, depend on, he was so consistent day to day. The Giants got a great player in him. He's really flourishing, and I know he's going to have a great career there, just like he had a great career for us. ... It couldn't happen to a better guy. He's just an incredible person."