Tom Brady lands near the top of most hated list
By JK Long
Tom Brady, Ndamukong Suh only current NFL players in top 5 of all-time most hated players
The top four on the list of the most hated NFL players of all time, released Wednesday by the Sporting News, are not surprising at all.
Michael Vick, the number one most hated of all time, is as well known for his dogfighting conviction and imprisonment as he is for playing in the NFL. Terrell Owens (No. 2) was awesome but often outspoken. Former Lion and current Dolphin Ndamukong Suh (No. 3) has been suspended several times since entering the league and was named dirtiest player by fellow players in 2012.
Greg Hardy’s arrest in 2014 for allegedly dragging his girlfriend and throwing her on a pile of loaded guns is more than enough to land him at number one, let alone No. 4, where he now ranks. An exceptional talent, Hardy is now a man without a team.
Tom Brady, however, at No.5, is an example of how plain old success, coupled with some minor controversies, can breed hatred in a sport known for passionate fans.
Brady is arguably the face of the NFL and one of the most decorated quarterbacks to ever play the game. He has played in six Super Bowls. He won four of them. So just how did he land on this list right behind Hardy and right ahead of Ray Lewis (No. 6), who in 2000 was charged with murder of two men in Atlanta (charges were eventually dropped)?
Maybe Deflategate, which may still lead to a suspension to start the upcoming season, is part of the reason. Brady is accused of knowing about the Patriots deflation of footballs during the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts last season, and of failing to cooperate with the NFL’s investigation into the incident. Not exactly murder or assault, but deemed by NFL commissioner to warrant a four game suspension.
Maybe the tuck-rule game in 2002, which gave Brady and the Pats the benefit of the call when he appeared to fumble in a playoff game against the Raiders, accounts for the New England quarterback’s place on the most hated list. That call propelled the Patriots to the win and eventually the Super Bowl. Not really Brady’s fault, but the refs who viewed the play and somehow called it an incomplete pass instead of a fumble.
Spygate? The Patriots illegally watched other teams practice, and were disciplined for it, but Brady can’t really be blamed for that.
Or maybe it’s just the fact that the Patriots have been good for so long that everyone who isn’t a Patriots fan has started to dislike them. And who better to hate then the face of the organization?
Whatever the reason, Brady’s name on the most-hated list shows just how passionate fans are about the league. To put Brady among the top five, the rest of whom have been accused and convicted of some pretty awful things, speaks for itself. As long as Brady just keeps on winning, his haters will keep on hating.
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