The good people of Colorado are a friendly bunch in most every circumstance, but there’s one thing that seems to draw the worst out of them: The New England Patriots, specifically Tom Brady.
Whether it’s for his play on the field, the deflation of balls off it, or his Uggs commercials on television, everything Brady does seems to draw the ire of Broncos fans, and it’s not surprising; the Patriots and Brady have been a thorn in the Broncos’ side for over a decade.
But maybe it’s time to rethink that — just a bit, at least. Following Al Jazeera’s report that Manning had been sent HGH supplements during the 2011 season, Brady spoke up in support of his fellow quarterback on his weekly appearance on WEEI Monday morning.
“I would consider him a good friend and you hate to see your good friends go through anything like that,” Brady said, via ESPN.com.
“He’s been a great player for this league, for his teams, for his organizations,” he continued. “He’s been one of the best players to ever play the game. Nobody has more respect for Peyton than I do, and everything he’s accomplished. Those are always challenging times, but he’s a tough guy, I know that. He’s a very mentally and physically tough guy.”
Yes, if there’s any quarterback that understands what it’s like to deal with controversy, it’s Tom Brady. Not only was he at the center of the DeflateGate story that spread throughout the league this offseason, but the Patriots have been involved in several other “cheating’ scandals, most notably SpyGate.
When Brady was asked whether he had reached out to Manning, he responded truthfully.
“He’s a big boy. He knows how to handle these things. Like I said, he’s a very mentally tough guy,” Brady answered.
“There is nothing I really want to add, because I don’t know; someone writes a story and to comment on the story that someone writes all the time, I don’t know the details of anything,” Brady continued.
Over the last decade-plus, Manning and Brady have been bitter adversaries, facing off almost every season in meaningful, season-defining games; there’s every reason to believe that there would be some animosity between the two, especially given that both quarterbacks will forever be linked as the two greatest signal callers of a generation.
Still, beyond football, the two have developed a close relationship, and it shows in Brady’s responses.
“I fully support Peyton and my friendship with him over the years. He’s a guy that I can always count on and he’s been someone who has always been so supportive of me. We’ll have lifelong friendships. Truthfully, I don’t put much into anything. I have a lot of friends, I have a lot of support, and he has the same. I’m a big fan and supporter of his, so that’s how I really feel about everything.”
Brady’s comments won’t change Broncos Country’s opinion of him, but it is a nice gesture; the least we can do is give him that.