Tom Brady became more visibly more agitated with the media towards the end of his Patriots career. The greatest of all-time abruptly ended a couple of press conferences and radio interviews, shutting down inquiries about his personal life and relationships. On this week’s episode of “Man in the Arena,” Brady finally strikes back.
The 2017 Patriots season was filled with drama from beginning to end. The surprise Jimmy Garoppolo trade sparked an avalanche of speculation about whether Brady forced out his younger protege, and just a couple of months later, Bill Belichick reportedly banned Alex Guerrero from the sidelines and locker room. The episodes provided the media with plenty of ammunition to theorize about Brady’s seemingly frayed relationship with the organization.
That January, ESPN’s Seth Wickersham came out with the defining piece about the Patriots’ palace intrigue: “For Kraft, Brady and Belichick, is this the beginning of the end?”
Brady never directly addresses that question during the episode, which is appropriately titled, “Nobody’s Business.” But Brady is blunt about the lack of joy he experienced that season. He blames the media for trying to exacerbate tensions.
“People need the drama. People need the ‘Real Housewives’ conversation,” Brady said. “I think that’s what so many things became in a very short period of time, because there was people creating division. Things were good, but why not nitpick at certain things that are chickens—? In the end, it just doesn’t matter.”
There was an odd feeling around the Patriots that year. The previous season, Bill Belichick and Brady were both relentlessly questioned about their friendships with Donald Trump, and oh yeah, there was that whole Deflategate thing, too. The Patriots capped off their turbulent year with the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, but their historic win didn’t quell the drama.
Questions kept arising about Brady and Belichick, and how much longer they would be able to work together. When the Patriots dealt Garoppolo for a mere second round pick, there were reports that Belichick was forced into the move.
Brady denies he pushed for Garoppolo’s exit. “With Jimmy being traded, I think a lot of people were confused,” Brady said. “Jimmy was going to become a free agent, and there was value in getting a pick for Jimmy. There was unfortunately a lot of false narratives that were being spread about his relationship and my relationship, how that all worked.”
The Patriots’ success on the field took a backseat to the apparent screenplay spectacle taking place off of it.
“It was just drama. It was just soap opera stuff,” Brady said. “Even though we were being very successful, even though I was playing great, it didn’t matter. I was still dealing with the constant negativity. The media were gonna cause division, make people take sides. I think the noise was just getting louder. Even though you block it out, they want to make it louder to make sure you hear it.”
Around that time, Brady stopped entertaining questions he didn’t want to answer, most notably about Guerrero. After Guerrero’s reported ban, Brady was forced to work with his guru in nondescript locations, including Gillette Stadium suites and even a maintenance garage. One of the more memorable scenes from the Facebook series “Tom vs. Time,” which was filmed during the 2017 campaign, shows Guerrero massaging Brady in a luxury box.
Brady says the controversies drained him.
“More and more, I think the joy was being taken away,” he said. “ It wasn’t about my football performance anymore. It was about so many other things. I think people always use the word ‘humanize.’ ‘Oh, you’re such a human.’ No f— s-- I’m a human. Everyone feels like they’re entitled to everybody’s thoughts and opinions all the time. Mind your own f— business.”
Most of all, Brady got tired of being the most scrutinized athlete in the world.
“I think we’re in such an era of life where everyone thinks they should get to know everything. The reality is, I don’t believe you should,” he said. “I think there are things about relationships that are just private. When two people have a conversation in a private room, they should remain private.”
The Patriots’ gut-wrenching Super Bowl loss to the Eagles only further inflamed the feeding frenzy around the team. The 2017 season may have been turbulent, but the upcoming offseason would be even worse.
