Did Tom Brady Take Page Out Of A-Rod’s Playbook? Max Kellerman Explains

Is there a double standard with regards to the move Tom Brady just pulled?

Max Kellerman thinks so.

Brady posted a cryptic photo to social media Thursday — three days before the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are scheduled to square off in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium — and the internet immediately blew up with people wondering whether the New England Patriots quarterback was dropping a clue as to what he plans to do upon becoming a free agent this offseason.

As Kellerman argued Friday on ESPN’s “First Take,” the timing of the post — right before the biggest game in football — was no different than when Alex Rodriguez opted out of his contract with the New York Yankees during Game 4 of the 2007 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies. And as you might recall, A-Rod took a lot of heat for seemingly trying to upstage the Fall Classic.

“Let me be very clear about this: I don’t have a problem with this tweet. I don’t have a problem with it. But a lot of you should. Let me explain,” Kellerman said. “Tom Brady is the GOAT. He’s the greatest football player who ever lived. At that position, to lead the way he has, perform the way he has, under pressure he became greater and greater as his career went on, better at his craft into an absurdly late age, it’s unimpeachable. But I recall when Alex Rodriguez, who was also among the all-time greats in baseball, opted out of his deal during the World Series — and by the way, there was nothing ambiguous about it, he opted out, he wanted a new contract — everyone killed him. The media killed him. Fans killed him. ‘He’s upstaging the World Series.’ I didn’t have a problem with it. Whatever. You can pay attention to it or not. What are you going to forget about the World Series? But if you had a problem with that, you better have a problem with this. Why would Tom Brady get a pass on this?

“He sends out a begging-for-attention kind of tweet. That’s what that is. Why do you have you walking out? ‘Which way are his feet pointed? Is he going in or is he going out? Is he wearing street clothes? What does this say?’ That tweet is designed to get everyone talking about you going into the Friday before the Super Bowl. So what’s that? Why does he get a pass for that? Again, I don’t care. He’s entitled to do what he wants. I didn’t care when A-Rod opted out of his deal. But if you cared about A-Rod doing that and other athletes upstaging the event, making it about them, how is this any different? It’s the exact same thing. And just because he’s the GOAT does not mean he’s perfect and above criticism. Period.”

Brady isn’t quite the villain Rodriguez was during his Major League Baseball career, even though the six-time Super Bowl champion has his fair share of detractors, and so that probably helps him in the court of public opinion. Not to mention Brady already was dominating headlines during Super Bowl week, with 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo estimating that 50 percent of the questions he’s fielded have been about his former Patriots teammate.

Still, it was an interesting move by Brady ahead of testing free agency for the first time in his career. And even though ESPN’s Adam Schefter since has reported that Brady’s post has nothing to do with the 42-year-old’s football future, that hasn’t stopped everyone from tossing around theories.