The text exchange had a titillating start. Antonio Brown was accusing Alex Guerrero of accepting $100,000 from him and not performing satisfactory work. Did Tom Brady’s guru and accused snake-oil salesman rip off the most mercurial wideout in the game just a couple of weeks before he stormed off the field in dramatic fashion?
Not quite. Guerrero responded two hours later with a kind note, asking Brown where he should send the balance (Brown included his bank account and routing numbers in one of the tweets before taking them down).
“Good morning AB. I appreciate you reaching out to me,” Guerrero wrote. “I completely understand that you want to go in another direction. Thank you for the opportunity to work together. You are a wonderful person. I hope for your continued success on and off the field. Please let me know where you want me to send the balance. Big hugs my friend.”
How do you like that? Guerrero was kind, compassionate and accessible. In fact, his most dubious line was calling Brown, who’s been accused of sexual assault, domestic violence and attacking a moving truck driver, a “wonderful person.”
Following Boston Magazine’s 2015 expose on Guerrero, which revealed he falsely billed himself as a doctor and sold fraudulent substances to terminal cancer patients, there’s rightfully been a lot of scrutiny around Brady’s business partner. But the widespread skepticism surrounding the TB12 Method has abated in recent years. That’s probably due to the fact that Brady is still playing at an MVP level at 44 years old.
Not eating strawberries may be weird, but it’s working.
Of course, highlighting Brady’s strange diet is a simplistic read of the TB12 Method. Brady wants to revolutionize the way athletes train, focusing on pliability opposed to benching and squats. It’s actually a pretty mainstream point of view. Stretching is good for your muscles.
Over the years, many of Brady’s teammates have worked with Guerrero. At one point, it was estimated that Guerrero was working with 20 Patriots players, including Rob Gronkowski, with whom he still trains today.
It’s fair to surmise those numbers might be similar in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have given Guerrero an office at their facility, whereas Belichick banned him from the sidelines and locker room.
Given Tom Brady’s friendship with Brown, it isn’t surprising he teamed up with Guerrero. Later Thursday, Brown clarified he wasn’t taking any shots at Brady.
“Don’t get it twisted. My brothers have been good to me. From Tom to practice squad, we were a top-level unit,” Brown tweeted.
Brown contends Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians forced him to play through a serious ankle injury. AB also posted a text exchange with BA Thursday.
A few hours later, the Buccaneers officially released Brown. Hopefully he changed his bank information. That was far from explosive than anything he revealed about Guerrero.
