While Tom Terrific has won two league MVPs in addition to his championship rings, the New England Patriots quarterback has also landed the world’s most-recognized supermodel as his wife, Gisele Bundchen. Recently, though, Brady hasn’t been very well-liked, being voted the league’s most-hated quarterback and being doubted for having a role in the whole DeflateGate controversy from a couple of weeks ago. Whether they truly dislike the guy or not, here are a few people who, at the very least, are critical of No. 12 from New England—even if they do respect him.
12. Brian Dawkins
Like others that you’ll see on this list, former NFL safety Brian Dawkins has joined the retired players who have spoken out about Tom Brady and his involvement with deflating game balls during the AFC title game. Saying he thought it was, “unbelievable,” that both the quarterback and his head coach were unaware of any wrongdoing, Dawkins added, “the equipment manager is getting thrown under the bus. Now, he’s the guy?”
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11. Troy Aikman
He may be in the same fraternity as Tom Brady is in regards to owning three Super Bowl rings, but former Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer passer Troy Aikman hasn’t stayed silent on the criticism of Brady. As others have, Aikman has pointed to the rules and standard practice of deciding the game day footballs, saying, almost with certainty, that Brady had something to do with it.
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10. Joe Montana
The four-time Super Bowl champion might have been Tom Brady’s childhood hero, but even Joe Montana isn’t backing down in criticizing the guy. Being quoted as saying it was, “easy to figure out,” who did DeflateGate, Montana didn’t hold back in putting blame on No. 12, adding that, while Brady might not have deflated the footballs, he knew about it, even worse, ordered it to be done.
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9. Mike Francesca
Generally regarded as the “Sports Pope,” New York sports personality Mike Francesca hasn’t been shy in letting his opinions be known about both Brady and the entire New England Patriots’ franchise—including team owner Bob Kraft. During the past two weeks, as fans have questioned the involvement of Brady and head coach Bill Belichick about their DeflateGate involvement, Francesca has spoken out on-air, saying what many fans believe.
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8. Mark Brunell
If you watched the press conference of Tom Brady talking about DeflateGate, there’s a good chance you saw the emotional reaction from former quarterback and current ESPN analyst, Mark Brunell. Following the video, Brunell, on live TV, no less, got choked up in his response, saying that he flat out, “did not believe Tom Brady,” in his explanation. Believing that Brady broke the rules and disrespected the game, Brunell added, “that football is our livelihood. If you don’t feel good about throwing that ball, your success on the football field can suffer from that.”
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7. John Madden
A legend from his days as a Super Bowl-winning head coach and the namesake of the video game franchise, Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden believes that Brady, not his head coach Bill Belichick, is at blame for the improper footballs, backing up his thoughts by saying, “That would have to be driven by the quarterback… It would have to be the quarterback’s idea.” Madden may have mumbled a lot during his broadcasting career, but we heard him loud and clear on who he’s pointing the finger at.
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6. Jerome Bettis
Just recently voted as a Hall of Famer, former running back Jerome Bettis was able to share his opinions following the video of Tom Brady saying that he, “didn’t alter the balls in any way.” Like Brunell—who was noticeable upset—Bettis spoke about the football being a preferred weight of a quarterback, and went on to add, “I think that was wrong and I’m very disappointed.”
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5. Ray Lewis
Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker and current analyst Ray Lewis has had a number of different battles with Brady and the Patriots over the years. For that reason, it’s not surprising that he carries the same intensity he played with against them into his opinions while on TV. What is a bit surprising is when Lewis acknowledged that the success of both Brady and head coach Bill Belichick should include an asterisk next to it, adding, “the integrity of this game! That’s no way you go into game trying to win football games.”
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4. Hines Ward
A former teammate of the aforementioned Jerome Bettis with the Pittsburgh Steelers, former wide receiver Hines Ward took aim at Brady in the past couple of weeks, too, bringing up the word “cheating” when talking with Late Night host, Seth Myers. Ward had a big rivalry with both Brady and Bill Belichick during his playing days, but his belief that the Pats just, “got caught,” and affected the “integrity of the game” seemed to be in-tune with what other, former players have said.
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3. Rex Ryan
This is a no-brainer thanks to the rivalry that has existed between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets—Rex Ryan’s former team. Always critical and never shy in throwing banter towards the Patriots, Ryan might not dislike Brady or his head coach Bill Belichick, but he certainly doesn’t bow down to them, either. With Ryan recently taking the head post for the Buffalo Bills, there could be a new rivalry that’s heating up in the AFC East.
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2. Richard Sherman
Dating back to the 2012 regular season when the New England Patriots traveled up to Seattle to take on their Super Bowl opponents, the Seattle Seahawks, the team’s All-Pro cornerback, Richard Sherman, has had strong words for Brady. First, there was the now famous, “U Mad Bro?” remark following the Seahawks’ win. Then, during the past two weeks of talking to the media, Sherman suggested that Brady isn’t the squeaky clean person that the media makes him out to be, and that there would be no punishment for DeflateGate because of the relationship between Pats owner Bob Kraft and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
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1. Terrell Suggs
While all these other people have had recent doubts about Tom Brady because of the DeflateGate incident, there’s only one who truly seems to do anything he can to show the guy as little respect as possible—Baltimore Ravens defender, Terrell Suggs. Referring to Brady simply as, “the quarterback for the New England Patriots,” Suggs might respect what the signal-caller has done over his career, but he’s not willing to admit it while he’s still competing against him.
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