Julian Edelman was the last vestige of the Brady era in many ways. On the field, he was Brady’s favorite target, and played an integral role in three Super Bowl championships.
And off the field, he was JE11.
It’s been a sweet gig covering the Patriots for the last 20 years. Their first dynastic run in the early aughts helped spur many beat reporters to varying degrees of media stardom — Michael Felger, Tom Curran, Mike Reiss — and the second wind pushed the Patriots to the front of the national news. Sports radio ratings skyrocketed; stories involving the team captured the attention of the nation. The Patriots won the Super Bowl in February 2015, and one could argue it was the third-most newsworthy event of the year for them, behind Deflategate and Aaron Hernandez being convicted of first-degree murder.
The Spygate scandal is what shifted the Patriots beat from a football assignment to a celebrity one, with an undefeated regular season and crushing Super Bowl loss definitely helping matters. Around this time, Tom Brady started dating Gisele Bündchen, and became an international sensation. Pretty soon, everything about Brady was news. The advent of social media only supercharged the madness.
Brady and Edelman bonded over many shared traits and experiences. They’re both kids from Northern California and entered the NFL as late-round picks (not sure if you’ve heard). Looking to bond with Brady, Edelman became a regular at his LA-area offseason workouts, and when he entered the starting lineup in 2013, they clicked instantly. A legendary bromance was born.
“He's always been kind of like my little brother, in a good way,” Brady told ESPN in 2019. “I don't have a little brother, but he's kind of like a little brother and he knows how much I love him.”
Brady, Gronk and Edelman formed a circle of trust, and in the process, fed the media a never-ending avalanche of stories. There were party boy things like drunken days at the Derby, and palace intrigue items such as high-stakes rifts with Bill Belichick. Edelman capitalized on his gridiron greatness and built a marketing empire. He’s amassed over 6 million followers on social media, and brought in over $2 million in e-commerce revenue last year.
Not bad for a seventh-round quarterback from Kent State.
Edelman fed into the grand irony about the Patriots. Though they preached “Do Your Job,” the personalities outshined the uniform. Belichick may have demanded austerity from his players in the locker room, but he never got in the way of their #brands.
It’s a much different equation now. The defense is stocked with stalwarts, including Stephon Gilmore, Dont'a Hightower and Devin McCourty, but their star power doesn't extend past the gridiron. While Cam Newton is a former MVP, it’s hard to capture the heart of a fan base when you throw eight touchdowns in 15 games.
The Patriots spent nearly $160 million in guaranteed money on free agents, but none of the players they’ve brought in carry cultural cache. The most memorable clip involving Hunter Henry was when Stephen A. Smith labeled him an “x-factor” heading into “Monday Night Football” — despite his season-ending injury.
This is now Belichick’s show, and there isn’t a supporting actor. Even now, the top Patriots storylines revolve around Brady, beginning with the same one we’ve been asking for almost a decade: who will be his heir apparent?
The 2021 season will be a countdown to when Brady visits Gillette Stadium. And if the conspiracy theorists are right, maybe Edelman will be lining up beside him. His knees could feel better in six months. Remember: Rob Gronkowski retired from football, too. This February, he was hoisting another Lombardi.
Without Edelman, the Patriots are truly starting with a clean slate, along with the media. Right now, nobody stands out from the collective team. Belichick may prefer it this way, but the ride will never be the same.
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Tatum-Perk story blurs all the lines: If you want a peek into the current NBA media climate, look no further than the episode involving Jayson Tatum and Kendrick Perkins. Last week, Perkins fired off a tweet criticizing Tatum for his defeated on-court demeanor, and since then, he’s averaging 30.4 points per game. The Celtics are 5-0.
On Tuesday, Perkins revealed Tatum called him to discuss the Twitter missive, so clearly it got his attention. Perkins appears to carry more sway with Tatum than Brad Stevens.
That could be concerning, or just indicative of the times. Tatum is a pure product of the social media generation. The sideshow is part of the job.
Meanwhile, Perkins was more than happy to share his conversation with Tatum, because it helps his brand. The more we hear about Perk interacting with players, the hotter he gets. With media still barred from locker rooms, access is at a premium. Big Perk has the inside scoop.
Red Sox find out winning spurs likability: It’s been two weeks, and we haven’t been inundated with questions about why the Red Sox are unlikable. What’s going on?
Oh yeah, they’ve won nine of their last 10 games.
Fans were ready to pounce on the Red Sox, exploding with criticism after an 0-3 start. They were still outraged at ownership for trading Mookie Betts and irritated with LeBron’s small ownership stake. But just 14 days later, the uproar is a distant memory.
John Henry will never be beloved like Robert Kraft, and this ownership group will probably always be viewed skeptically, despite their penchant for winning and spending. But winning baseball overshadows outside negativity. I have solved the Red Sox’s PR nightmare.
How much do you think I can ask for a consulting fee?
Durant is even more sensitive than Kyrie: After the way Kyrie Irving finished his run in Boston, it’s hard to believe he could share a locker room with a superstar who’s even more sensitive to media criticism than him.
But that’s exactly what’s happening in Brooklyn. Kevin Durant got into another social media spot this week, calling out Shannon Sharpe for attributing a fake quote to him on FS1’s “Undisputed.” The account “Goat Analyst” brought the mistake to his attention.
While there’s no questioning Durant’s on-court success, this social media obsession is not healthy. Just two weeks ago, we found Durant has been pelting Michael Rapaport with grotesque homophobic and misogynistic insults, because the annoying actor and comedian criticized an interview he did with Charles Barkley.
Seriously.
In hindsight, it might be a blessing the Celtics weren’t able to land Durant all of those summers ago. With his rabbit ears, it’s unlikely he would’ve stuck around here for long.
