The ultimate book on the New England Patriots dynasty has yet to be written. But in the meantime, there are plenty of books being churned out to take full advantage of the ongoing NFL saga and soap opera surrounding quarterback Tom Brady, head coach Bill Belichick, and owner Robert Kraft. One such book, “12: The Inside Story of Tom Brady’s Fight for Redemption” (by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge), has just been released and chronicles the tumultuous 2016 season for Tom Brady.
A season that started with Brady serving a four-game suspension for the Deflategate controversy ended with Brady engineering one of the greatest comebacks in Super Bowl history and adding another trophy to his and the team’s case. If the Patriots and their key figures weren’t so divisive, it might have been seen as one of the great stories in American sports history. Instead, that’ll probably have to be a Boston-centric ideology moving forward.
When it comes to Deflategate, the Patriots always appeared to be aligned on their stance, in fighting the NFL on the issue, and accepting the eventual punishment handed down. However, according to this new book, Brady was furious with owner Robert Kraft for accepting the four-game suspension the league gave to Brady, something the QB saw as his owner selling him out. Brady watched Kraft make the announcement during a May 2015 press conference and felt like he’d been thrown under the bus.
Via The Athletic (subscription required):
Kraft’s star quarterback Tom Brady watched the news conference along with millions of others on television. He was devastated and angry. Brady grabbed his cell phone and punched in the contact number for DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the National Football League Players Association.
“What the f—?” Brady shouted over the phone.“Why am I not getting the support I deserve on this thing?”
No wonder Deflategate kept going long after this press conference. Brady and the league continued fighting over the suspension until the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals eventually reinstated it. Brady finally acquiesced in July 2016 and later said that ending the whole saga was a “personal” decision.
Had this story dropped a year ago it might have been more of a bombshell but it comes after numerous reports of bickering and dysfunction involving the Patriots, especially amongst the Big Three. Tensions between Belichick and Brady have been said to have gotten so heated that Kraft may have to finally make a choice between the two someday soon.
According to this book, Kraft already chose the team over Brady once. Might he do it again?
[Sportress of Blogitude, The Athletic]
