The proverbial apple apparently does fall far from the tree sometimes.
Former San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman bought his young son a Tom Brady jersey Sunday, despite his own enduring antipathy toward the New England Patriots and their legendary quarterback. Merriman used Twitter to share a photo of the occasion, which took place on Father’s Day, with a caption that will make football fans of all stripes chuckle.
“Happy Fathers Day to all the real Fathers who do things for their kid even if it kills you ???,” he wrote.
Merriman was the defensive star on a San Diego Chargers team that won the AFC West each year between 2006 and 2009. However, Brady’s Patriots beat the Chargers in the playoffs in the Divisional Round in 2006 and the AFC Championship in 2007, obviously to Merriman’s chagrin.
His Chargers and then Bills teams, the latter of which he sparingly played for due to injuries, never came close to progressing further than Brady’s Patriots in subsequent years. So we understand why he still becomes sore at the sight of TB12’s jersey, even if his son doesn’t.
