Tom Brady Sr. says his son is a victim. You see, the greatest of all-time was trying to enjoy a nice and low-key weekend with his family, but then the bullies at ESPN reported he was retiring from the NFL. Boxed into a corner, Tom Brady Jr. accelerated his decision and called it quits.
Adam Schefter’s word is gospel, after all.
Brady Sr. has taken his ridiculous blame game to the airwaves this week following his son’s retirement reversal. The old man told WHDH Brady felt like he had to “just to get the news people off his back,” and then complained to Mike Greenberg the mean media men were “announcing his retirement before he even retired.”
Apparently Tom Brady, who’s faced international media scrutiny for 20 years, buckled under the pressure of an ESPN article. Dads go to great lengths for their kids, but come on, now. Not even Jim Gray buys this spin job.
The notion that Brady retired to avoid the spotlight is absurd, considering he planted the seeds for his return less than one week after his faux-announcement — leading to 40 days of fervent speculation about his impending comeback. Brady “retired” on Feb. 1, and then on Feb. 7, told Gray he was going to “take things as they come.”
Immediately, we started reading about Brady finishing his career with his hometown 49ers, or heading down to Miami to run the Dolphins. Brady invited the onslaught of coverage, using his own media operation to drum up anticipation for his telegraphed about-face.
That’s what Tom Brady Sr. seems to really be bemoaning: for one day, the narrative slipped away from TB12 Inc. Then it was time for three days of obfuscation and gaslighting, including Brady Sr. attributing the hoopla to an “online publication circulating an unsubstantiated rumor.”
It’s worth noting that Brady’s own company, TB12 Sports, also tweeted farewell to his founder when ESPN’s report came out. What a gossip rag.
We all laugh in endearing amusement when Brady Sr. calls up radio stations to needle Bill Belichick or proclaims his son has been “vindicated.” It takes us back to a time when Brady was still the sixth-round kid out of Michigan who walked around the Patriots facility with a pizza box under his arm.
But those days are long gone. Brady is an icon with his own wellness empire, clothing line of overpriced sweatshirts and production company. Nothing about Brady gets out unless it runs through the TB12 channels. Remember: Schefter and Jeff Darlington attributed their report to “sources.” They didn’t make up their scoop.
Somebody in Brady’s camp screwed up, and prematurely leaked the news about his retirement that never happened. Blaming reporters for doing their job is weak.
Brady’s waffling makes him look bad, and now his father’s aggrieved offensive makes him look petty.
Sometimes, dad isn’t always right.
