Thursday’s PFT Live featured a meeting of the five families, minus three who were still sleeping. With the fishes.
ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio somehow secured permission to join the program, and we touched on a variety of topics. He’s currently embedded with the Patriots, and he explained that the Patriots are much looser and relaxed than they’ve been before past Super Bowls. We spent some time discussing whether and to what extent Brady’s decision to disclose his mother’s illness has helped him treat football as a sanctuary from the personal strain that flows from a family illness, and whether his decision to not fight the NFL tooth and nail over his four-game suspension was influenced in part by a desire to reduce his mother’s overall stress level.
Paolantonio also spent some time discussing his task of presenting former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue’s case for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. As it relates to the concussion issue, Paolantonio presents some information that caused me to consider the reality that Tagliabue was confronted with a cultural issue that was going to take years to properly address.
To see the unprecedented visit of Paolantonio to PFT Live, check out the video; to hear all of it, download the podcast at iTunes or audioBoom.