Tom Brady’s five biggest controversies from SpyGate to Donald Trump claim

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Tom Brady splits opinion. It doesn't matter that he is one of the all-time great NFL quarterbacks – he will never be universally revered for his outstanding talent and longevity.

A lot of the dislike for him, frankly, comes from jealousy of a man who has made hundreds of millions of dollars for being ridiculously good at American football.

It also doesn't help that the team with which he made his name and enjoyed most of his success, the New England Patriots, is widely despised by fans for a wide range of reasons – some in which Brady is implicated.

To look into why Brady is such a polarising figure, as he confirms his retirement at the age of 44, Star Sport explores some of his most controversial moments.

SpyGate

SpyGate rocked the NFL in 2007, when the Patriots were caught illegally recording play signals from the New York Jets' defensive coaches during a match.

It was not the act itself which was against the rules, but the video assistant who was recording was doing so from the team's sideline, where it is prohibited.

As an isolated incident it was nothing too scandalous – even the Jets' coach Eric Mangini said himself that he did not believe the Patriots were gaining "any kind of significant advantage" from the filming.

But the incident led to an investigation which later led to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick being accused of spying on other teams around the league ever since he took the job in 2000.

The most high-profile accusation came when the Boston Herald published a story claiming the Patriots had filmed the St Louis Rams' preparations for the Super Bowl in 2002 – a match the Pats, led by Brady, would later win.

Belichick denied that allegation and the Herald was later forced to retract, but for some the dye was cast and the Patriots' domination during that period remains slightly tainted by the accusations.

DeflateGate

Another scandal affecting the Patriots' legacy over the past two decades is DeflateGate, which is another accusation of the Patriots cheating to gain a competitive advantage.

This one had far more substance, as an NFL investigation ruled that it was "more probable than not" that Brady's team was deliberately using under-inflated balls in a match against the Indianapolis Colts which saw them qualify for the Super Bowl in 2015.

Removing air from the football makes it easier for it to be gripped, thrown and caught.

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Because each attacking team uses their own footballs during a match, the Patriot's opposition would only ever handle one of the deflated balls in the case of an interception or recovering a fumble, meaning the offensive team would have an unfair advantage.

Brady was also more directly implicated, as the NFL's report into the scandal found that Brady was "at least generally aware" of the wrongdoing.

After the US Court of Appeal upheld the investigation's finding, the Patriots were slapped with a hefty fine and lost two NFL Draft picks, while Brady was given a four-match ban after eventually giving up his legal appeals.

Donald Trump claim

Considering the headlines he has been involved in both before and during his time in office, being aligned with Trump comes with a price – even if the former US president does maintain strong support with some parts of the electorate.

Brady has largely avoided being drawn into political or social debates, preferring instead to sit on the fence – something for which he has been derided in the past by those who believe he prioritises protecting his brand above all else.

But on several occasions he has been linked with Trump. Brady's friendship with the businessman and reality TV star is no secret, but friendship and genuine political support are two different things.

Thirteen months prior to the 2016 US Presidential election, a "Make America Great Again" cap was photographed in Brady's locker, provoking speculation that he was a Trump supporter.

And just before the election, which Trump won, he claimed Brady had told him that he supported his campaign and that he had voted for him.

But Brady's wife Gisele Bundchen moved quickly to refute that claim, as she responded to a fan asking her on Instagram if they had voted for Trump with a simple: "NO!"

After that, Brady said he would no longer be discussing politics and later did not join his Patriots team-mates in a visit to Trump's White House after their Super Bowl success in 2017.

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TB12 Covid loan

Plenty of business owners will have desperately needed to take the government funds designed to help small businesses to survive the Covid-19 pandemic, but the second highest NFL player of all time isn't one of them.

Throughout his career he has earned more than £175m and his current net worth is said to be around that figure as well. His wife Gisele Bundchen's fortune is even larger, as the supermodel is worth around £300m.

In 2020 alone, Forbes estimates put Brady's earnings at around £33m, leading to questions why his TB12 health and wellbeing brand needed to take £712,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans in the same year – according to data released by the US Small Business Administration.

Accounts showed the company applied for and received that amount to help it survive the economic hit from the pandemic, while an estimated 52% of small businesses across the US which applied for the scheme reportedly were given nothing.

While the size of his business met the criteria for the loan and he did nothing wrong at all to get it, safe to say it was not in the spirit of what the system was created for and didn't go down too well with the general public.

Tuck-rule vs the Raiders

In 2002, Brady played in his first-ever playoff game as a fresh-faced 24-year-old and would go on to win the first of his seven Super Bowl rings that season.

But many believes the Patriots should not have even been playing in the championship game, as it was only through a hugely controversial moment that they had managed to beat the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Divisional Playoff.

In the fourth quarter and with a three-point deficit, Brady appeared to fumble the ball and give possession back to the Raiders, which would have all-but guaranteed Oakland the victory.

But the decision was reviewed and, despite Brady appearing to abort an attempted pass and 'tucking' the ball back into his body, officials decided it was an incomplete pass rather than a fumble and the Patriots kept possession.

Later in that same drive the Pats got the field goal they needed to force overtime and eventually went on to win both the game and the championship.

It was the first of nine Super Bowl appearances and six wins for Brady and the Patriots, but that period of dominance began with a huge slice of luck and no small amount of controversy.

  • Tom Brady
  • Nfl
  • Donald Trump

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