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Why Tom Brady's Super Bowl neutrality has offended Patriots past and present: 'It makes me sick' originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
As a six-time Super Bowl champion of the New England Patriots, nobody would blame Tom Brady much if he showed up to Santa Clara for Super Bowl 60 decked out in Patriots gear.
Brady, however, has decided to play things much more lowkey with New England's return to the Super Bowl — in fact, the now-part-Raiders owner and part-Fox broadcaster has maintained a neutral stance on the Patriots' matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
That stance has seemingly offended both current and former Patriots players. Active linebacker Robert Spillane joined some New England alums on Thursday by saying it made him "sick" that Brady wouldn't confirm his rooting interests for the Patriots.
Here's what Brady said about his Super Bowl pick and how current and former Patriots players have responded.
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Tom Brady Super Bowl comments
On the most recent episode of his "Let's Go!" podcast with Jim Gray, Brady was talking about the Super Bowl 60 matchup when he said: "I don’t have a dog in the fight in this one."
He continued to take a neutral stance on Patriots-Seahawks, speaking more like a broadcaster than a longtime New England star quarterback.
"May the best team win. And in terms of the Patriots, this is a new chapter in New England, and I'm glad everyone's embraced the Mike Vrabel regime, all the amazing players that have worked so hard to get their club to this position," Brady said, per NBC Sports. "We did it for 20 years. There was a little bit of a hiatus in there, but the Patriots are back and it’s a very exciting time for everyone in New England.”
Brady added that he was most interested in Super Bowl 60 being entertaining.
“I just wanna see good football,” Brady said. “I wanna see good plays, good throws, good strategy, good decisions.”
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List of reactions to Tom Brady's Super Bowl neutrality
Since Brady's comments, there have been a growing number of Patriots figures, including current and former players, to express their offense at him declining to root for New England.
Asante Samuel
Former Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel, who spent five years with the team and won two Super Bowls, took to social media on Wednesday night, targeting Brady for his Patriots comments.
"Tom Brady I am highly I mean highly disappointed in you not rooting for your ex teammate, Mike Vrabel who is about to do something special," Samuel wrote. "I’m going to fye your a-- up one of these mornings. Tag Brady let him know I’m on his a--."
Samuel was not done there. He proceeded to share a few more posts about Brady's neutrality.
" Let me find out you hating on Drake Maye and Vrabel," Samuel wrote. “'I don’t have a dog in this fight.' Not what I wanted to hear. Brady knows how I get down. This ain’t nothing new to him."
Samuel also claimed that Brady had 23 hrs "to respond," or he would share details about "who you are."
MORE: How Patriots built Super Bowl 60 roster
Vince Wilfork
Another Patriots alum reacted on Wednesday, as 11-year New England defender and two-time Super Bowl champion Vince Wilfork said it was "bullcrap" that Brady wouldn't root for the Patriots.
"If you're a Patriot for life, you know what it is. Don't give me that political bullcrap," Wilfork said. "If you don't think we're going to win, just pick Seattle then. Don't straddle the fence."
Tedy Bruschi
Former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who spent his entire career with the team from 1996-2008, didn't exactly call out Brady like others did, but Bruschi did go in-depth on why he would be rooting for New England.
"That's the way Tom feels. I got a big a-- dog in the race. I'm telling you that right now, that's my boy right there, [Mike] Vrabel, eight-year teammate, like a brother of mine," Bruschi said. "My dog is big and I'm cheering for him."
Robert Spillane
The first active Patriots player to react to Brady's neutrality was linebacker Robert Spillane.
On Thursday, MassLive's Karen Guregian reported that Spillane said it "personally it makes me sick” that Brady wouldn't root for the Patriots.
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