Since restructuring his deal this week to provide the Patriots with a lot of salary cap room and himself a pile of guaranteed cash, quarterback Tom Brady has become one of the league’s biggest talking points.
But he doesn’t want to talk about it.
Brady passed on a request for an interview with Boston’s WEEI radio (where he makes weekly paid appearances during the season), but sent an email to John Dennis of the Dennis & Callahan show.
“I don’t want to talk about this on the radio or anywhere else for that matter,” Brady wrote, via the station’s website. “Athletes are always talking about money at a time when everyone else is struggling so badly to make it. We all make way more than our fair share. And I just think it reflects poorly on myself and my teammates.
“I really do just want to win, and that has and will continue to be the reason that motivates me and is the biggest factor in my decision-making process.”
Even though he’s sensitive to looking like a heel, Brady is actually enjoying the best of both worlds in this deal. Half (or more) of the football world is thanking him for taking less than he’s worth, turning him into some kind of martyr for the cause. The other half thinks he’s jamming future players by taking less than he possibly could (which is Bob Kraft’s last nickel), but that’s easily spun back into what a great teammate he is since he’s helping the Patriots add more talent. Both ways, he’s lining his pockets.
As with most things Brady, it’s almost hard to screw up, but he’s not going to risk that double-edged goodwill by talking.