Getty Images
Tom Brady is better than that.
Or maybe he isn’t. Perhaps, like the rest of us, Tom Brady is petty and vindictive. Maybe he needs to embellish and / or manufacture “haters” to continue working as hard as he does, to deny himself hamburgers and fries and ice cream made with the usual ingredients and beer and bourbon and tequila and schnapps.
Whatever the reason, Brady posted a one minute video on Wednesday he compiled several criticisms about his performance and his age. The words (from people like Cam Jordan, Shannon Sharpe, Max Kellerman) match video clips from Super Bowl LV, headlines from newspapers and websites and tweets from random users.
Not to mention just Brady, he included tweets and headlines criticizing Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown and Leonard Fournette. Brady said in the tweet that accompanies the video: “I love radio shows”.
Generally speaking, Brady should. The radio program constantly promotes him, his team and his sport. Talking about the real performance of previous games and speculating about the expected performance in future games makes the listener more likely to watch the games, which in turn helps the sport to generate more money.
That said, anyone can find a minute of criticism in an entire year of football. Anyone. Because everyone eventually performs poorly. Brady had a few. His companions had some. Everyone had some. (The video does not refer to the “Isn’t it the fourth drop now?” De Brady versus the Bears.)
The minute of criticism is balanced by hours of praise. Unremitting praise. Exaggerated praise. Unjustified praise.
Although Brady played very well in the Super Bowl, the Bucs did not win because they scored 31 points. They won because the Chiefs scored just nine points. If a shooting had happened, Kansas City would have a better chance of winning.
In addition, if Brady and Patrick Mahomes had played teams, the Bucs would still have won – and possibly by more than 22 points. Then there is the reality that if the Tampa Bay defense hadn’t stepped on a rake in Week 12, the Tampa Bay defense would have entered a Super Bowl conflict.
Yes, Brady is the best defender of all time. Yes, he is the greatest player of all time, in any position. Yes, it’s perfectly possible that he ends up having as many Super Bowl rings as he has fingers. Surprisingly, some are suggesting (albeit incorrectly) that the spongy guy in boxer shorts in the 2000 Scout League could be the greatest athlete of all time.
That, along with his supermodel wife and hundreds of millions in joint assets, should be enough for Brady. Apparently, it is not. Apparently, he’s like the rest of us. Apparently, he still needs real or perceived scorn from those whose opinions don’t matter to light his fire.