New England Patriots fans’ love for Tom Brady only might be matched by their hate for ESPN — a point proven to great effect Friday.
Patriots supporter Billy Lacey filmed Brady, who’s finishing up his four-game Deflategate suspension this week, throwing passes in Milton, Mass., and posted video of it on Twitter.
That drew the attention of the ESPN Assignment Desk, which tweeted at Lacey to ask permission to use the video.
That’s when Lacey spoke on behalf of all Patriots fans.
Lacey’s New England breathen quickly congratulated him on standing up to ESPN, which many of them believe sparked Deflategate with Chris Mortensen’s infamous (and now-deleted) tweet reporting that 11 of the Patriots’ 12 game footballs in the 2014 AFC Championship Game were under-inflated by about 2 PSI. The Wells Report later proved that to be false, but Brady received a four-game suspension nonetheless.
Of course, ESPN long has poked Patriots fans with hot takes. In summer of 2014, it posted stories claiming Brady no longer was a top-five NFL quarterback — and not even in the top 10. He won his fourth Super Bowl championship eight months later. Danny Kannell, an ESPN Radio analyst, last season encouraged the Denver Broncos to hit Brady late — and the list goes on.
Brady’s ban will end after Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, and you can bet the quarterback will come back motivated. It appears Patriots fans such as Lacey will be motivated, too.
Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
