Over the past 24 hours, Gary Myers has done a lot to both lose and win over Patriots fans.
Myers on Monday claimed Tom Brady’s relationship with New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels “deteriorated” last season — a report Brady strongly denied. The former New York Daily News columnist stood by his reporting during an appearance Tuesday on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” show. Toward the end of that interview, Myers offered fascinating insight into the differences between Brady and Peyton Manning.
In 2015, Myers published “Brady vs Manning: The Untold Story of the Rivalry That Transformed the NFL” — a book whose title speaks for itself. As someone who spent personal time with both quarterbacks while writing the book, Myers is more qualified than most to talk about two players NFL fans might completely misunderstand.
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“I’ve told people this a million times, that the public perception of Brady and Manning is the complete opposite of what they are really like,” Myers said. “Everybody looks at Tom as this stand-offish guy, a little full of himself, people are jealous of him because he’s been so successful and he has a supermodel wife, he’s got the perfect life — and people resent him for that. And with Peyton, ‘Aw, this funny, gregarious guy — very forthcoming, and friendly and funny and on television he’s great.’ I’m telling you the truth: The reality was completely different than people’s perception. And I’ve had disagreements with (Manning’s father, Archie,) … who got very mad at me when I went on a radio show a couple years ago and said this. Tom is such a nicer guy, and such a better person, in my opinion, than Peyton Manning to deal with. … Archie is pissed at me.
“Listen, they both do great things off the field, charity-wise. So, I’m not saying (Brady) is a better person in terms of what he does for other people.”
Myers went on to tell revealing stories about his experience writing the book, which went on to become a New York Times bestseller. To paraphrase: Brady was very accommodating and spent over an hour in a car with Myers when he made a trip to Boston, whereas Manning was the exact opposite when Myers flew out to Denver to conduct an interview.
So, relax, Patriots fans: Gary Myers doesn’t have an ax to grind with your precious football hero.
