Tom Brady apparently paid practice squad players who intercepted him
By Dani Bostick
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill have very different attitudes towards practice squad players.
All practice squads and the quarterbacks to practice against them are not made equal.
In one corner we have Ryan Tannehill, the underperforming quarterback of the so-disappointing-their-coach-just-got-fired Miami Dolphins. Tannehill has thrown five interceptions in four games and has a completion percentage of just 56.7 percent.
When practice squad players intercept him, he gets mad and belittles them, according to FoxSports.
Complex reported he told them: “Enjoy your practice squad paycheck.” Apparently former coach Joe Philbin comes from the everyone-is-a-winner school of NFL coaching, and told practice players to take it easy on Tannehill so his confidence doesn’t get shaken.
In the other corner we have Tom Brady, the perennially excellent quarterback of the best-in-the-NFL New England Patriots. Unlike Tannehill, Brady has not thrown a single interception so far this season and is rocking a completion rate of 72.2 percent.
What does Brady do when his practice squad players intercept him? He pays them. Former Patriots wide receiver Donte Stallworth tweeted about Brady’s motivational techniques on Tuesday.
Brady actually paid practice squad and look team guys if they picked him off in practice. http://t.co/7c4cDcI1ol
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) October 6, 2015
Given the Patriots history with scandal, some on Twitter portrayed Brady’s generosity as corruption, calling it CompensateGate.
#CompensateGate RT @DonteStallworth Brady actually paid practice squad and look team guys if they picked him off in practice.
— fordpr (@fordpr) October 6, 2015
Still, the classier move is by far Brady’s. Rewarding young players instead of mocking them like some middle-school bully is definitely more honorable.
But comparing Tannehill to Brady is like comparing a rowboat to a battleship.
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) October 6, 2015
Stallworth believes the dysfunction trickles down from the top. With a new coach at the helm, hopefully the team can regain some of its dignity, and hopefully Tannehill can take a page out of Brady’s book and respect his teammates.
But at the end of the day, this speaks volumes to the disfunction of the Miami Dolphins. I feel bad for Dol-fans. They deserve a winner.
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) October 6, 2015
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