Actually, he’s not from Massachusetts. Calling him a Masshole is a point of pride in NE, and a compliment there. We are a grumpy, cantankerous bunch. People who don’t like Brady, will think it the other way.
Brady’s greatness seems like a pretty polarizing argument. I would argue most people are in either camp, and not in the middle. I am going to try and present both sides.
When I was a kid growing up in Massachusetts, the Patriots were not a successful team, to say the least. We had the Red Sox ( a sub-sect Catholic religion of NE ) and the Celtics success to follow, so we weren’t too broken up about the Patriots.
But when Belichik and Brady arrived, and we started winning, it was like a drug. People in their 20s only know of a dynasty as young as they can remember.
My wife couldn't stand Brady. Said he flipped his hair during tantrums. Like Marsha Brady. She also grew up as a Broncos fan.
Do we really hate this guy because he deflated some balls and his team filmed others, and he married a super model? Seems kinda petty after the plandemic. I would argue that “we” were just stupid enough to get caught. Cheating is a relative term in the NFL.
He was not known for being a gracious helper to new and upcoming quartebacks. He pretty much forced the Garoppolo trade because he saw him as a threat to his position.
This is embarrassing to admit, but I was listening to a podcaster recently who was reminding a woke person what the goal of sports is. The goal of sports is to win. Period. Yes when we’re younger we learn about sportsmanship, and team work and working hard. But if you don’t start winning at the highest levels, you are gone.
So do we need our sports hero’s to be gracious? It didn’t appear to me that Brady initiated most trash talking in the game. I don’t think he’s big or strong enough to do that. But he could make you pay for it later.
Larry Bird by comparison was one of the world’s greatest trash talkers, and we don’t think of him as a jerk. We laud him as one of the best ever. How many former players would be judged so well in the age of cell phone cameras? How well would we be judged in the lime light?
Brady has announced a new retirement, yet could still play another season in this league. He’s 45 years old. He just had over 5000 yards passing, 485 completions, 43 TDs for the season. Production wise, he could keep playing as one of the leagues’ best.
I hated his weekly interviews with Jim Grey. The one’s I heard were safe space comments, like “it was a team effort.” I don’t blame him for that. When you catch so much heat, people start training you to be a “nice guy.”
I hope as a commentator, he owns it, and is a dragon slayer. “That was a terrible play call, AND execution!” Hey, if a certain number of people are going to hate, might as well go all out.
Guess I wasn't very unbiased in this article. Now, I’m gonna own it.
Hope he see’s this. He might decide to come back.