Breaking News: Tom Brady's* Feelings Hurt

(imgkid.com)

Stop the presses.

Hold the phone.

Delete that tweet and remove those pictures from your Instagram account.

Tom Brady's feeling are hurt.

Yes, to anyone who has harbored confusion or frustration over the Deflategate controversy, anyone that has accused Brady*, Belichick*, and the New England Patriots* of compromising the integrity of the game by deliberately adjusting the equipment they use to better suit their purposes, just STOP!

It's too much for poor Tom*.

In an interview this morning with a Boston-based radio show, Brady* said, "I personalized a lot of things and thought this was all about me and my feelings got hurt, and then I moved past it because it's not serving me."

News flash, Tom*: It is all about you.

It is about the quarterback that tells his equipment managers how he likes his footballs prepared and then approves them before the game starts.

It is about the player who was thrown under the bus by his own head coach (BostonGlobe).

It is about the person who appeared nervous and shaky in a press conference, who dodged questions, who redirected and deflected, and who took over 30 minutes to express one simple answer: I didn't do it.

But alas, Tom Brady* is able to move past it because "it's not serving" him.

My, how convenient.

Brady* also appeared in an interview with Chris Berman at half time of the Pro Bowl. Again, he was asked if the NFL had contacted him to hear his side of the story. His response:

"No, no. I believe they're going to after the season, so we'll deal with it after this game."

Do me a favor and read that answer again.

Here is the sequence of events:

You are accused of cheating in a conference championship game.

You play for a team that has a history of cheating.

You are the player that comes directly in contact with the equipment in question, and are in charge of specifying how you want that equipment prepared.

You hold a press conference and no former NFL players believe your explanation.

The NFL launches a thorough and complete investigation into the allegations levied directly against you, but delays in speaking with you at all about the issue.

You are allowed to move past it because it is not serving you.

It is clear as day that the NFL is deliberately stalling to defuse the situation and to avoid speaking with the responsible parties in an effort to remain blissfully ignorant to the true sequence of events.

As Conan Doyle famously wrote, "No shit, Sherlock."

And this too may come as news to Tom Brady*, but others see right through it.

Asked to comment on the potential punishment for the Patriots*, Seahawks' cornerback Richard Sherman had this to say:

"Will they be punished? Probably not. Not as long as Robert Kraft and Roger Goodell are still taking pictures at their respective homes. You talk about conflict of interest. As long as that happens, it won't affect them at all. Nothing will stop them."

The comments came on the heels of an interview in which Sherman had the audacity to imply that Tom Brady's* "Golden Boy" image was a charade.

“I think people somehow get a skewed view of Tom Brady that he is just a clean-cut, does-everything-right [guy] and never says a bad word to anyone — and we know him to be otherwise,” Sherman said. “I am sure in those moments of him yelling at the ref he is just saying, ‘Good job. Fantastic job. Keep it up'."

The Deflategate controversy has surely taken a toll on his image and reputation, and personally I could not be happier.

Just a few weeks ago, I wrote a piece in praise of Brady's* performance agains the Baltimore Ravens. As a lifelong Raiders fan, it was one of the most difficult things I've ever done, but I thought Brady was nearing a point of reluctant respect, much like Kobe Bryant.

Both athletes are among the best to play their respective sports. They've won championships, they've broken records, and they are equally loved and despised by fans around the world. They've beaten my teams and I've hated them for it, but as you continue to watch them perform and excel you cannot help but feel respect for what they have accomplished.

But the Deflategate scandal, and the subsequent reaction by the NFL and the Patriots*, has helped me find the major difference between Kobe Bryant and Tom Brady*.

Kobe Bryant tore his achilles, then made his two free throws before walking off the court into the locker room. Just last week, I saw him tear is rotator cuff and continue to play, shooting and dribbling with his left hand until his coach was forced to pull him out.

Nothing will stop Kobe because Kobe will stop at nothing.

Brady*, on the other hand, has nothing but excuses and cushions. The league will resurrect rules to save him, they will create new ones to protect him, and when his guilt is obvious, the league will look the other way entirely.

Nothing will stop Brady* because Brady* has the league in his pocket.

Recently ESPN revealed Kobe's secret dietary staple, one that helps him heal and recover and has enabled his illustrious career: bone-broth soup. Fortunately for Tom Brady*, a new medicine has been discovered to help him with his deflated balls and with his emotional sensitivity.

Feel better, Tom*.

A Controversial Season

In a season marred by controversy, Deflategate is a most fitting end. 

bgr.com

It was February 14, 2014.

Valentine's Day.

Just two weeks had passed since the Seahawks had claimed the Lombardi Trophy in astounding fashion: a 43-8 trouncing of Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.

111.5 million viewers made the game the most watched event in television history, surpassing the record set by the game of the previous year, and was a fitting end to a season that earned the NFL close to 9.5 billion in revenue.

Roger Goodell was dishing out the last congratulations to the league officers and beginning to shift his focus toward the upcoming season, at that point 6 months from the first preseason games.

It was the beginning of the NFL offseason, and therefore the start of the mammoth media and marketing campaign that would aim to have fans salivating by mid-June.

On February 14, 2014, Roger Goodell was probably taking his lovely wife out to a romantic dinner to celebrate their marriage and the undisputed success of the National Football League. After the meal he would order a scotch (and a martini for his wife) and they would split a dessert-- chocolate mousse with raspberry drizzle. Then he would go home to bed, smiling and wholly oblivious to the fact that in the morning he would wake to find the league at the center of a national controversy.

Around the same time Goodell was closing his eyes, Baltimore Ravens' running back Ray Rice was boarding an elevator with his girlfriend in Atlantic City. When the doors opened, however, he was dragging her unconscious form through the lobby.

Ray Rice stands over his unconscious girlfriend

(dailymail.co.uk)

Before most had even digested the Super Bowl in its entirety-- Peyton Manning, for certain-- the NFL was center stage once again, in a very bleak and damaging spotlight.

The Ray Rice incident sparked national outrage and a call for Goodell to act immediately. The court system would take time to levy the punishment, but surely Goodell could condemn such a reprehensible act without hesitation while the charges processed.

No such action was taken.

In March, a grand jury indicted Rice on third-degree aggravated assault, a charge that carries a 3-5 year sentence but was later dropped in lieu of court-supervised counseling. Rice's girlfriend had agreed to marry him on the day after the incident, and the couple had chosen to chalk the incident up to "mutual intoxication".

"We vehemently deny that Mr. Rice committed an aggravated assault," said Rice's attorney. "Both Mr. Rice and Miss Palmer are together, they are happy and they're in counseling."

Many still looked to the league to condemn the act, and domestic violence, with more severity than a superficial and transparent media campaign.

Goodell responded with a two-game suspension.

He cited the absence of criminal charges and Rice's clean history as reasons he felt the meager punishment was adequate. Above all, he said, the league be consistent with other punishments.

Those other punishments include:

"Pacman" Jones currently plays for Cincinnati

(madamenoir.com)

Ben Roethlisberger-- 6 game suspension in 2010 for allegations of sexual assualt (later reduced to 4)

Donte Stallworth-- Suspended for the entire 2009 season for DUI Manslaughter charges.

Pacman Jones-- multiple suspensions, including the entire 2007 season and an indefinite suspension in 2008 for involvement in an incident at a Las Vegas strip club that escalated to a triple shooting. He suspension was reduced to 4 games as well.

Goodell had decided on the appropriate punishment and hoped to move on with the offseason, utilizing the NFL draft and the upcoming preseason to steal the focus. Eventually the regular season was upon us, and the Ray Rice discussion became centered around the impact of his suspension on his fantasy draft position.

Things took a turn for the worse, however, when the video of the Ray Rice incident surfaced online, clearly showing the 200 pound running back punching his girlfriend in the elevator. TMZ released the video on September 8, and the public reaction was immediate and intense.

The Ravens terminated Rice's contract immediately and Goodell was forced to change the suspension to indefinite. Already under fire for the paltry suspension initially issued, Goodell apologized again and admitted his initial ruling was not severe enough. The NFL announced a new domestic violence policy and hoped to put the story to bed once and for all.

Adrian Peterson in court

(abcnews.com)

Then on September 12, just four days after the Rice video surfaced, Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson was indicted for child abuse.

These scandals followed the commissioner for the duration of the season, and the integrity of the league was under fire from the very start. There were also on-field incidents that, although non-criminal, did nothing to bandage the fractured reputation of the league and its embattled commissioner.



Lions' defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, repeatedly voted the NFL's dirtiest player, was caught on camera intentionally stepping on the ankle of Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers. This was Suh's second stomping-related incident against the Packers alone, and the league has warned him numerous times to remedy his behavior.

Suh's first stomp

(foxsports.com)

The offense prompted a one-game suspension, which was immediately overturned and allowed Suh to start in the first round of the playoffs against the Dallas Cowboys.

That game too was marred by controversy, as a critical penalty for pass interference was picked up with no given explanation.

The Cowboys would advance only to be knocked out on an overturned touchdown-- the "rules" of the game dictate that the receiver did not maintain possession of the ball.

That allowed the Packers to advance to the NFC Championship-- an incredible game that was miraculously absent of controversy. That contest was followed by the AFC Championship, in which the Patriots* stomped the Colts, and now face allegations of intentional manipulation of equipment to deliberately gain an advantage-- cheating.

Yes, it seems that controversy has been a hallmark of this NFL season, and it is only fitting that the biggest game of the year-- and likely the most watched event in television history-- will come with the ultimate sour lining. Many feel that there is enough evidence to punish the New England Patriots*, via fine at the very least, and some have called for a suspension of Brady*, Belichick*, or both.

As the days pass it seems that no decision will be handed down until after the Super Bowl. The league is "thoroughly investigating" the allegations against the Patriots* but for some reason has deemed it unnecessary to speak with the man at the center of it all-- Tom Brady*.

(eonline.com)

To speak with the former "Golden Boy" would make the NFL complicit, and it would have no choice but to suspend the QB and spoil the Super Bowl. So they are turning a blind eye, just as they did with Ray Rice, and showing us all what they are truly made of.

Image.

Facade.

Shiny silver statues, hollowed as rotten oak trees.

Yes, being the commissioner of the money-making machine that is the NFL comes with a lot of responsibilities.

Justice and Integrity are just not amongst those.

Golden Boy Under Fire

(cnn.com)

Before we begin I would like to clarify one thing:

I in no way believe that the under-inflated balls contributed to the outcome of the AFC Championship game.

The Colts were flat-out crushed, mostly due to their inability to stop the run and their own lack of running game.

That said, we need to take the Deflate-gate scandal for what it is:

Cheating.

@JLAnderson1999

The dictionary tells us the following:

To Cheat:

"To act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage."

Deflated footballs are easier to grip, and easier to catch in cold weather.

That is an advantage.

Was that advantage required to win the game?

@NOTZOMBIES

Absolutely not.

The fact remains that the New England Patriots* used under-inflated balls as a means to gain an unfair advantage over their opponent.

That is cheating.

The media response has been dramatic and widespread. Articles appeared on every major news site as early as Tuesday (with the exception of NFL.com, which has attempted to squash the story from the start).

As Tony Kornheiser pointed out, this was the second-leading story across the country. The first: the President's State of the Union address.

Brady's story featured above Obama, Netanyahu, Boehner and Putin

"This isn't ISIS," accused QB Tom Brady* responded to the media on Thursday. "This isn't... you know, no one's dying."

Correct and incorrect, Mr. Brady*.

This story has nothing to do with ISIS-- an observation I found shocking for its ability to convey both cultural literacy and absolute ignorance.

But there has been one death, Tom*: the death of your public image.

The death of the "Golden Boy*."

The reaction to Tom Brady's* press conference, in which he spoke for over 30 minutes trying to profess his innocence, was universal.

His voice cracked and his persona was so much different than the post-game Tom Brady* we have all grown accustomed to hearing.

He contradicted himself multiple times.

He stumbled over his words and his responses rarely answered the original question, even when the questions were simple.

He did not convey any confidence whatsoever that he was innocent, and therefore inspired none among the millions watching.

Not even the crew of NFL Live believed him.

Former QB Mark Brunell observed, "I did not believe what Tom Brady* had to say. Those balls were deflated. Somebody had to do it. I don't believe there is an equipment manager in the NFL that would-- on his own initiative--  deflate a ball without the starting quarterback's approval."

He also pointed to his experience as a starting quarterback. "That football is out livelihood," he said, insisting that Tom Brady* would have noticed the difference and likely would have requested it.

"I can't believe that," said Jerome Bettis. "I had to take a sip of water. I could not believe what I heard."

"It's clear that the equipment managers are doing what you want them to do."

"It's unbelievable," Brian Dawkins agreed.

Hall of Fame QB Troy Aikman pitched in as well:

"It's obvious that Tom Brady* had something to do with this."


Even Tom Brady* seemed unconvinced:

Reporter: This has raised a lot of uncomfortable conversations for people around this country who view you as their idol. The question they're asking themselves is, 'What's up with our hero?' Can you answer right now, is Tom Brady* a cheater?

Tom Brady*: I don't believe so.

Are you kidding me??

During his NFL career Tom Brady* has demonstrated a fantastic ability to run an NFL offense. He is great at throwing a football, he is great at reading a defense, and he is great at staying cool under pressure.

Unless that pressure is from the media.

Unless his integrity and legacy is under assault. Unless no one in your industry or outside your industry believes the words coming out of your mouth.

Unless he does not believe those words either.

Yes, in his fifteen seasons as a professional football player, Tom Brady* has proven that he is great at many aspects of the game.


But Tom Brady* is a terrible liar.