FOXBORO, Mass. — Tom Brady is asked about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and/or Deflategate during nearly every interview or news conference he gives. But few questions about the commissioner or the controversy were more dramatic and over the top than the one posed to him Friday afternoon.
Here’s the full exchange:
Reporter No. 1: “Tom, we’ve all heard what you’ve said over the last year-plus at the podium, on the radio. I respect what you’ve said. But this commissioner and this league via a four-game suspension tried to disgrace you. People called you a cheater. People on TV cried. People lied. People threw trash at your name. Are you telling us that none of that factors into any of the motivation that you have to go out there and to win this game so you can grab the trophy, hold it high, stand at the top of the mountain and howl at the moon?”
Brady: “I mean, I’m motivated by my teammates. I said that after the (AFC Championship) Game. I think that they’re all the motivation that I need. And it takes a lot of work to get to this point, and nothing that’s happened in the past is going to help us win this game. What’s going to help us win this game is going through that process that we talked about and being ready to go. That’s enough motivation for me.”
Reporter No. 2: “That won’t be the only time you’re asked questions like that, but every time a question like that is put on you, you just have a way of just deflecting or just moving on and focusing on, obviously, the game. Do you kind of relish that knowing that you can take all those questions on, you can deflect away from the pressure of your teammates, because you’ve been dealing with questions like that in various ways over the last 15, 16 years? And it hasn’t fazed you ever.”
Brady: “Well, I’m a positive person. So I just focus on all the positives, and I don’t get caught up in negativity and bashing other people. I’m just very blessed. I get to do something I love to do — show up to work every day, play football in the National Football League, play for the Patriots. I grew up watching Joe Montana and Steve Young in the Bay Area at a great time. I’ve got great support from my family and some great support from my friends, and I love playing for this team. So I’m very blessed, and I try to keep a positive outlook and I try to influence people in a positive way. I try to be an encouraging person in other people’s lives, and hopefully, that wears off on my teammates. It’s a tough game. There’s a lot of challenges that you face. And I think always focusing on what’s positive has worked for me.”
Just … wow.
Brady and the Patriots will travel to Houston on Monday ahead of their Super Bowl LI matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
Thumbnail photo via Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports Images
