It's easy to dislike Tom Brady.
He's got enough Super Bowl rings to start a high-end jewelry store.
He's the reigning Super Bowl MVP.
He's got chiseled good looks.
And then there's his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
Pretty nice life.
But now Brady is being called something else - cheater.
And by no less a source than the NFL itself.
The league came down hard on Brady yesterday, suspending him for the first four games of next season for his role in what is infamously known as 'Deflategate.' The NFL believes Brady knew about the plan to use under-inflated footballs in last season's AFC championship game.
The Patriots also were fined $1 million and will lose two draft picks.
The team is rallying around its leader, rejecting the findings of the NFL's report and vowing that Brady will appeal. He has three days to do so.
Even if his penalty is reduced, it's unlikely Brady will be behind center for the glamourous NFL opener, a prime time Thursday contest vs. the Steelers. No doubt the TV folks are thrilled about that.
Here's what I think about Brady:
When God cut the mold for NFL quarterbacks, he used Brady as the mold. Tall, lean, rocket arm, able to read the most complex defenses. Maybe even leap over tall buildings in a single bound.
I don't think any of this taints Brady's legacy. I still think he's the best quarterback in NFL history. The numbers - and those rings - tell me that.
The Patriots are pretty well-known for pushing the envelope. There was Spy-Gate, in which the team was accused of stealing other teams' signals. Some Eagles fans still wonder if the Birds lost that Super Bowl to the Patriots fair and square.
But we'd give our right arm for one of the those rings.
In the meantime, we're left to discuss the merits of Cody Asche being sent down to Lehigh Valley to learn how to play left field and make way for Maikel Franco at third base.
Yeah, I know.
Not exactly "Super."
Comments