Tom Brady is the glitzy quarterback of the NFL's flashiest undefeated juggernaut, the New England Patriots. But columnists seem to be plopping Brady into several different political slots. On the ESPN website, former Newsweek writer Gregg Easterbrook wrote of how he saw the matchup between the Indianapolis Colts (good guys) and the Patriots (dishonesty, arrogance, hubris), and somehow, surprise, the liberal writer finds that dishonest hubris translates well to Cheney:
The team's star, Tom Brady, is a smirking sybarite who dates actresses and supermodels but whose public charity appearances are infrequent. That constant smirk on Brady's face reminds one of Dick Cheney; people who smirk are fairly broadcasting the message, "I'm hiding something."
But from the New York Post's Page Six comes news that perhaps that the Cheney metaphor has no relation to reality: "TOM Brady celebrating his record six touchdown passes with his supermodel girlfriend, Gisele Bundchen, at Prime 112 in South Beach, where Bill Clinton introduced him to his party as "the greatest quarterback in the world."
(HT: Tom Johnson, Paul Smith)
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Tim,
October 24, 2007 - 21:18 ET by Chris NormanI must be suffering from liberal idiot commentator fatigue. After reading this latest quote, all I can muster is a sigh and a slight head shake (it aches). How do you guys do it?
New Motto? We Watch This Shxt, So You Don't Have To!
October 24, 2007 - 21:29 ET by Free StinkerHow do you guys do it?
I'll never figure out how they do it, but their motto should be: "We Watch This Shxt, So You Don't Have To!"
For which I am immensely grateful.
. . . and no matter how horrific the terrorist attack, it's conducted by losers. Winners don't need to hijack airplanes. Winners have an Air Force. --P.J. O'Rourke
Brady's OK
October 24, 2007 - 21:34 ET by Del DolemonteSupposedly Brady's a GOP, as he showed up at one of Bush's SOTU addresses. He also once said that Jerry Ford was one of his heroes (after all, they both played football for the same alma mater)
He had also entertained thoughts of running for political office but seems to have soured on that.
I don't know
October 24, 2007 - 21:47 ET by pbthinkerI don't know if Brady is a Republican or not but it certainly would make sense. When you make the money he makes you don't want to let those Democrats stealing it all through taxes.
The rest of this stuff is just another case of BDS.
Democrats: Specializing in "high tech lynching" since 1987.
ESPN was long ago invaded
October 24, 2007 - 22:06 ET by jdhawkESPN was long ago invaded by liberal think. Hence, the bogus charges which led to Rush Limbaugh's firing there.
I lost interest in professional sports many years ago, anyway. I just don't watch them.
Neverthless, I will cherish viewing my sons playing various sports in high school and college. That was quite a treat.
Playing for the love the game is what it is all about. Most professional sportsmen seemd to have forgotten that. And, I hate the "recap" of what I just viewed as much as I hate a commentator telling me what I viewed after a debate, a speech, or whatever. It's just insulting.
Sounds like someone's jealous
October 24, 2007 - 22:23 ET by RJ"a smirking sybarite who dates actresses and supermodels but whose public charity appearances are infrequent."
Not only jealous, but a hypocrite, considering that studies show that conservatives give more to charity than liberals.
Liberals are beyond
October 24, 2007 - 22:37 ET by kathleenirishLiberals are beyond pathetic. I've got idiot-liberal fatigue syndrome, too. God, wouldn't you be embarrassed to be so childish if you wrote like these losers do?
Focus on football and stay out of politics. Dopes.
Anyone who says they support the troops but not the mission is a liar.
I detest Tom Brady and I appreciate Dick Cheney
October 24, 2007 - 22:55 ET by Lame CherryLiberals never quite understand the difference between "grit" like Dick Cheney has and "cheating" like Tom Brady is.
There are always differences in life from the Pittsburgh Steelers smearing black jelly on their uniforms to make them too slippery to tackle to Papa Hallas sending out a 12th player from the sideline to cover kickoffs when it is all out in public........not against the rules and if caught can be stopped.........compared to the New England Patriots being reported for cheating and then deliberately like Bill Clinton going out and cheating again telling the NFL to shove it.
I respect John Madden, but he is completely off base in his love affair for Tom Brady as cheating is cheating and kids see that and think it is fine. Tom Brady is no one to be looked up to. He is a very good quarterback, but when he has fornicated all over the world and has a bastard because he is not adult enough to marry the woman.........that is nothing I could ever admire.
The New England Patriots have more in common with the Democrats and the Clintons than anyone in government. They make their own rules and have their own cheering section who will excuse their crimes just for winning.
For the record, I really get fed up with the "fake" that seeps in like a Daunte Culpepper "allowed" to play for the Vikings for hype with Randy Moss..until they meet the Giants who cream them in the playoffs by a 50 point margin as the Giants are the big kids on the block.
This same type of fake is what the New England Patriots are about in being well disciplined, but any defense could shut down the Patriots as they have no running game that is worth anything.
Simply put, send in a head hunter to hammer Brady on every play while jamming their Randy Moss receivers and New England stops winning period. (I would ask bloggers who know football to remember how New England was allowed to cheat in jamming other team's receivers in mugging them.)
New England is a straw dog that Marty Shottenheimer could beat with ease using the above simple defense........just like any Fred Thompson can beat any Hillary Gore in the DNC by putting forth an economic, sovereignty policy with exposing the DNC crimes.
I detest Tom Brady and for all that was admirable of the Patriots it is as tainted as Barry Bonds goosed homeruns.
Tony Dungy of the Colts has built a team of outstanding citizens without cheating and without off the field debauchery. Dick Cheney has no bastards running around...... I would suggest Newsweek look to it's Clinton shemale criminals they adore for what this story is about.
Or perhaps they could create another Koran in the crapper story as they seem to like lying as much as the Democrats.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
Funny that you latch onto the Dolts as "good citizens"
October 24, 2007 - 23:03 ET by RJ....the same team that without warning loaded up moving vans at midnight to steal out of Baltimore like sneak thieves....out of a city that absolutely LOVED them, to Indianapolis, a city that was part of the deceit and collusion.
They've never deserved the honorable name of "Colts", and they never will.
WHOA !!!!
October 24, 2007 - 23:50 ET by Del DolemonteBefore you tar the Patriots with the "cheating" slur, let me remind you that the NFL Commissioner made Belichik turn over a ton of material such as game films and other stuff so they could analyze it for "cheating". The Commissioner, after reviewing the material, cleared the team of any wrongdoing in the past.
After the camera guy was caught in the Jets game, the Pats went on to thrash the Jets anyway. Under increased scrutiny, they have since continued to thrash the next several teams they have played. This includes cleaning the clocks of the (at the time) unbeaten Dallas Cowboys. And they cleaned their clocks in Cowboy land. I won't even get into last week in Miami...
If they truly were "cheating", it would have been exposed years ago. This episode just happened because of bad blood between the two coaches, one of whom (the Jets coach, Eric Mangini) had a definite grudge against the other coach.
Your kidding , right?
October 25, 2007 - 01:25 ET by general companylet me remind you that the NFL Commissioner made Belichik turn over a ton of material
That was reveiwed by who? That is right, nobody. Now while I personaly think the Pat's have been cheating, I also think they are better then ever. Brady is a great QB, but anyone who thinks stealing call's is not beneficial is fooling themselves. This is a definite stain on this season, even though the league has washed their hands of it.
But not being a Pat's fan, I guess I am bias along with the other 31.
Hey!
October 25, 2007 - 11:56 ET by Bess2728There's just a bunch of sour grapes out there because the Patriots won three (that's right three) Superbowls, and now are poised to have another fantastic season.
Cheaters, no. Arrogant, I'll give you.
LOL!
October 25, 2007 - 12:14 ET by Del DolemonteSince when have you been working in the NFL Commissioner's office? Simply saying no one reviewed it is wishful thinking on your part, but nothing more.
And no, the league hasn't washed its hands of it. FYI, a good friend of mine is a sports editor in Boston, so I have excellent sources.
Now, tell us how you know that the Patriots have been cheating all this time...
you have no idea what you're talking about
October 25, 2007 - 06:43 ET by chuckoSeriously, get a clue (and a brain cell while you're at it).
Just about everything you said about the Patriots is dead wrong. The Patriots did not "cheat," they broke the "rules" about camera usage during the game. That's what the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. The WHOLE LEAGUE was warned about filming shortly before the season started - meaning that Goodell knew a lot more teams were doing this, not just the Pats.
Belichick was arrogant, had a grudge against the Jets, and filmed the Jets's defensive coaches anyway - but for possible later use in a future game, NOT for that game. There were decoys among the Jets coaches giving signals, so it would take quite some time to figure out who was giving the REAL signals to the Jets defense anyway.
Again, this was a COACH-related issue that other "coaches" in the NFL were doing for years. Did Belichick miss the preseason memo? I doubt it but he claimed he misinterpreted the new rule and filmed the Jets defensive coaches and paid a huge price for it: losing hundreds of thousands of dollars and more importantly, a 1st round draft pick.
The Patriots quietly complained about the Jets doing something suspiscious last year as well, and with their coach Eric Mangini being the former defensive coordinator for the Pats a couple of years ago, do ya think his complaints might be just a bit hypocritical?
None of what happened in Week 1 has any bearing on the rest of this season or past seasons, and certainly had nothing to do with the players themselves (Brady or anyone else).
The ONLY Patriot who did cheat in recent years was Rodney Harrison, who recently came off a four-week suspension for admitting to the FBI that the HGH shipments they found were his. You see, unlike Scooter Libby, Rodney was honest with investigators and he did his time and now he's moved on, kicking ass as usual.
So what is considered cheating in NE?
October 25, 2007 - 08:55 ET by general companyTalking about finding a Brain cell, you are one gullible sob. Just read your own post. BTW you dont have any idea what was on those films or the other information they turned over, so quit suggesting you do.
Smirking
October 25, 2007 - 05:32 ET by djm159If smirking proves "I'm hiding something" then Bill and Hillary Clinton must be hiding volumes - sorry that's redundant we all know that's true. If Hillary is elected president Slick Willy, the smirking king, is in line to be appointed an ambassador for America to "help repair our credibility." Will he take a lie detector test to prove he didn't rape Juanita Broaddrick? Personally, I have a real problem with an accused rapist being an ambassador for America and repairing our "image." Will he have to register in every country as a sexual predator? By the by, exactly what Clinton charities are there? What do they contribute to? Last time I checked Tom Brady wasn't running for president and his money, personal life or charitable contributions is none of my business. The Clintons on the other hand are my business. How much did they donate to charity? Oh yes, I forgot Hillary says that's her personal business. Maybe we should apply the Clinton standards for decorum and honesty to the New England Patriots and Tom Brady. Oh wait, the Patriots and Brady win hands down.
defending brady
October 25, 2007 - 06:38 ET by chuckoA couple of points: This Easterbrook guy is full of shit on several accounts, including his charge that Brady doesn't do enough charity: "Although Tom doesn’t have his own charity, he has contributed to those of his teammates, such as Lawyer Milloy, Joe Andruzzi and Lonie Paxton’s Active Force Foundation, which engineers, designs and provides adaptive sports equipment to people with physical disabilities. In addition to working with the Starlight Children’s Foundation of New England, Tom is the two-millionth member of the ONE Campaign -- an international movement to make poverty history and dedicated to encouraging Americans to lobby Congress for a 1% budget increase in humanitarian aid to the developing world." (from askmen.com).
Secondly, Brady may have been seen with Wild Bill, but don't forget he also accepted Laura Bush's invitation to attend one of Bush's SOTU addresses a few years ago. So you don't know if Brady's a Democrat or Republican, nor does it matter!
Finally, speaking of first ladies, the only comparison to Cheney that could be made right now among people mentioned in this post is the ultra, unprecedented secrecy Bill and Hillary have regarding policy advice the latter may have given the former when she was First Lady (according to Newsweek's Michael Isikoff this week). Prior administrations never kept former First Ladies' records off-limits to the public like Bill/Hillary have been doing. The records are in Bill's library, which is FEDERALLY funded. And if Hillary's going to tout her experience as First Lady, we have a right to know what she thought about the issues of the day now don't we? (Rhetorical question)
TMQ
October 25, 2007 - 11:46 ET by dubuquemanI think it is a little off to portray Easterbrook as a standard-issue liberal. He has written some common-sense things about environmental issues and he has been known to dispute liberal positions and global-warming hysteria. Plus, he writes an entertaining column makes great arguments against excessive blitzing and cowardly punting.
C'mon folks, Dick Cheney does smirk, and he does like keeping secrets. You don't have to be a liberal to think that.
Patriots Football
October 26, 2007 - 08:32 ET by Six String SpiffUmmm.. the pAtriots had that tape confiscated in the first EIGHT minutes of the stupid Jets game. And don't tell me other teams haven't done way worse things. Notice you don't hear many coaches coming out and bashing them. I wonder why that is? All I know is the Patriots are going to the Super Bowl again. My only hope is Peyton crybaby Manning gets steamrolled as we pave the way there.