Tom Brady: Most Americans Don’t Like Me and I Can Understand That

On a 2016 list of the “most hated NFL players of all time: loudmouths, cheaters and criminals”, the Sporting News ranked Tom Brady at No. 5.

Between a criminal in Greg Hardy at No. 4 and a loudmouth in Ray Lewis at No. 6, Brady would theoretically be the cheater of the group thanks to the Spygate and Deflategate controversies.

That was a couple years ago, but the dislike for Brady outside of New England hasn’t gone away – and he totally gets it.

In an interview with WEEI, the Patriots quarterback offered his thoughts on why elite NFL players like himself aren’t loved by their country in the same way that star soccer players are beloved in their home nations.

As he pointed out, soccer players get to play for their country internationally at some point, regardless of which city they play for nationally.

“I see all these soccer players that play for these different clubs but then come together for their country at some point,” Brady said. “In America, we never get a chance to do that. So, most Americans that live in other parts of the country, they don’t like the Patriots. They don’t like me, and I can understand that.”

Since he was a 49ers fan growing up (or because he wanted to lightly troll the team his former backup now plays for), Brady used San Francisco as an example.

“I was a 49ers fan at one point,” Brady said. “They want to see their team win, and when they don’t, I think they’ve got to direct that frustration somewhere else. When you’ve been successful like our team has been, I think that frustration gets directed at us, and that’s just part of it.”