Tom Brady's Answer to the Antonio Brown Question Makes Me Wonder if He's Human
Tom Brady did his weekly interview with WEEI this morning. And naturally was asked the inevitable question about clusterfuck-in-human-form that is Antonio Brown. As you’d imagine, he handled it with slightly more warmth than his boss did:
(God help me, I’ll never get tired of watching him make these moments painfully awkward for everybody but himself. It’s like he’s using a biological agent he’s taken the antidote to.)
Brady was asked a simple question about a trainwreck who had been in his life and his locker room for all of 11 days. And his answer sounded like it was from an early draft of the Sermon on the Mount:
“I do have a lot of personal feelings, none of which I really care to share. That is about it. It’s a difficult situation. That’s kind of how I feel. …
“There’s a lot of human elements and I think because as a player and a person I care deeply about my teammates. I want everyone to be the best they can possibly be. From the day I started with this team, even back I’d say in college, it’s such a tight-knit group and you want everyone to become they best they can possibly be and you try to provide leadership. You try to care for people. You try to provide whatever you think you can to help them reach their highest potential, whatever situation it is. I’ve had a lot of teammates over the years. You invest not just your head, but your heart. You invest your soul. That is what makes a great team. That is what makes a great brotherhood. I think in the end, that is the endearing trait about sports.
“For me, it is the relationships I get to build because they are very meaningful. That is at the heart of philosophically my life. It’s really about great relationships and seeing guys from all different backgrounds, I think it brings all of us together in so many ways. I had a privilege of a great upbringing, parents that were deeply committed, sisters that supported me, great friends. I think from my standpoint, I just try to provide the best I can, those types of things.
“I am very optimistic. People who know me, I think know how optimistic I am and just my belief that positivity and optimism can overcome a lot of things. There’s a lot of things that get in the way of that, and again, I think we’re in a culture that we want to pass judgment so quickly on people. We want to disparage people so quickly. It speaks to me that a lot of people are probably hurting because when you’re not feeling great you want other people to know that. I think it becomes very emotional and again, it’s a tough life. Life is not easy. Football is not easy. Evolving and growing as people is not an easy thing.
“I’m very different now – at 22 than I am now at 42. I have a lot more perspective. Life is challenging for all of us. … We all go through different aspects of our life and we try to do the best we can do and we develop friendships and relationships and people that support us. Sports has a great way of bringing a lot of people together and I believe the more you care for people, the more you love people, the more you find joy in your life, the better our society is, the better our communities are, the better our teams are, the better our families are. That’s how I feel.”
I can’t even begin. Usually when I’m having one of those “How are Tom Brady and I in the same species?” moments is when I see him posing in a tux on a red carpet next to Gisele or watching him fire a heat seeking missile into Julian Edelman’s hands through bracket coverage with the pocket collapsing. But then words like this come out of his mouth and I can’t help but ask the same question.
Seriously, how does anyone in the public eye hold onto such a positive worldview? Fame is a prison for most people. Which is why so many of them turn to substances or intensive therapy or weirdo religions. And some find much, much worse ways out. Yet this guy has been toiling away in front of the world for over two decades now. In a job that is an amount of year round work no sane person wants to do. With little or no job security. In a profession with great physical risk. Where everyone is hostile to him. And where 44 of 50 states hate his guts, cheer his failurs and openly root for the day it all comes crashing down on his head like the Tower of Barad Dur.
And yet this is how his worldview is shaped. It’s inconceivable anybody who’s taken the kind abuse Brady has can be this positive. Can have this optimistic outlook about humanity and life in general. I’ve got a great family and a job where all I do for money is express myself creatively and get very little in the way of criticism or abuse. Yet I walk around surly, sarcastic and with a general disdain for my fellow man. Brady’s been made out to be the Prince of Darkness by the guy running the league works for but he refuses to disparage people. I honestly don’t know how he pulls it off.
It’s yet another reminder of something I’ve mentioned before. 13.7 billion years ago, the universe began. It was almost entirely made of hydrogen and helium, with a small amount of lithium. After billions of years, those gasses formed clouds that became stars. Those stars lived for billions of years before collapsing and forming other elements, such as carbon. And eventually, some of those carbon molecules formed Tom Brady. Appreciate that you exist at the same time he does. Thanks for listening to my TED Talk.