FOXBORO, Mass. — There aren’t many similarities in the NFL media’s treatment of Tom Brady’s and Peyton Manning’s recent controversies.
Brady was constantly criticized for his alleged role in Deflategate, which resulted in him being suspended four games by the league before a federal judge nullified the punishment in September.
Meanwhile, Manning has mostly escaped criticism for his alleged link to HGH shipments, which Al Jazeera broke last week. A few prominent media figures have refused to even acknowledge it, including CBS NFL play-by-play man Jim Nantz, who called the report a “non-story.”
Brady was asked Wednesday about the contrast in treatment from the media between him and Manning, and he admitted it’s not something he’s worried about right now.
“I haven’t thought one bit about that,” Brady said before his team practiced at Gillette Stadium. “I’m just trying to do my best to help our team win. That’s what my goal is. As mentally focused as I can be on that to help our team win. We’ve all worked pretty hard to get to this point.
“I read a cool quote the other day that said, ‘I didn’t come this far to come this far.’ We still have a ways to go.”
This is more of a topic for after the season, and besides, Brady has publicly supported Manning more than once on the issue. Brady is preparing for a playoff run that could end with his fifth Super Bowl title. Let’s face it, there are more important things for him to deal with than to be concerned with who’s being treated more favorably by the national media.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
