Tom Brady is still taking a beating even in the offseason.
The New England Patriots quarterback posted a photo of him and Michael Strahan as the former New York Giants defensive end jokingly wraps him up to try and tackle him.
"Take it easy, @michaelstrahan! It"s the offseason!!!! #ReligionOfSports." said Brady in his Instagram caption.
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Brady and Strahan are both co-producers for thetelevision show "Religion Of Sports" where they highlight how sports areintegrated in different cultures.
Earlier this offseason, Strahan admitted what it"s like to hit the quarterback while speaking atWWD"s Men"s Summit Wear in Brooklyn, New York.
Youve never lived unless youve hit Tom Brady, he said.Not just Brady but any quarterback.
Like, you hit a guy, hit a grown man, and you hear the life and the breath leave his body. Theres something very empowering about that. Then, you hit Brady, you sack him and you land on Brady. And you get up and youre, like, Boy, I see what Gisele is feeling. You know, I just laid down with Tom Brady. That was cool.
The defensive end got the better of Brady and the Patriots in 2007 when he and the Giants defeated the previously undefeated team in Super Bowl XLII before retiring from the NFL.
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STEPHEN A SMITH FULL FACEBOOK RANT AGAINST TOM BRADY (7/13/2016)
Donald Trump, who somehow has made it into the finals to be our next president, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the outspoken and spunky United States Supreme Court justice, have engaged in a very entertaining p*****g match the last few days.
Can Tom Brady, the star of the Deflategate sitcom, get sprayed in the crossfire?
Brady is The Donalds favorite quarterback and last season Brady displayed a Trump campaign Make America Great Again cap in his Patriots locker. Ginsburg, meanwhile, is expected to issue the final ruling whether Brady will miss the first four games of the 2016 season or whether his suspension will be deferred pending appeal.
Brady and Trump are not much more than golfing buddies, although the way Trump portrays it, he just about watches tape with TB 12. They are so close that Brady will not even be attending the Republican Convention next week in Cleveland. Then again, he didnt attend the Pats White House visit last year.
James Freedland: Ginsburg hates Donald Trump. So what?
So, how has Brady-Ginsburg-Trump become a political love-hate triangle built for reality TV?
As anticipated, the full 13-member Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York ruled Wednesday to deny Bradys request for a rehearing of the courts three-member panels decision in April to confirm Roger Goodells powers and reinstate Bradys four-game suspension, which is now scheduled to be served at the beginning of the 2016 season.
Bradys next step is to ask the Second Circuit, within the next seven days, for a stay as he appeals to the Supreme Court to hear the case. The Second Circuit is expected to deny that request by mid-August.
The four-time Super Bowl winner will not be out of options and this is where it gets really interesting.
Justice Ginsburg doesn"t want to think about a Trump presidency
His last Hail Mary will be to ask the Supreme Court to issue a stay that will cover the 90 days he has to file a request for the most powerful court in the land to hear the case. The stay, if granted, will also cover the period of time until the Supreme Court decides whether to hear the case, which likely wont be until next spring. Because the season opens Sept. 11, there is a sense of urgency. Brady is free to participate in training camp and preseason games.
The Supreme Court would be expected to makes its ruling on the stay very quickly.
The circuit justice from the Supreme Court who is assigned to rule on matters coming from the Second Circuit is none other than Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She is a liberal judge and tends to side with labor. Thats great news for Brady. This case is no longer about deflated footballs. Its whether Goodell abused his CBA powers.
The bad news is Trump keeps boasting about his bromance with Brady. That clearly should not influence the ruling of Ginsburg, a woman of high integrity. If Ginsburg grants the stay, then Brady is clear for the 2016 season. If not, then he will miss games against the Cardinals, Dolphins, Texans and Bills.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, down in the muck
I see Brady playing weeks one through four, said noted sports legal expert Daniel Wallach. With Justice Ginsburg the one deciding, things look pretty good for Brady. Its an easy decision for Justice Ginsburg to stay the suspension.
Even if the Supreme Court later decides not to hear the case, he will be able to serve the four games in 2017. But if she denies the stay and Brady eventually wins, he can never recover games that he loses, Wallach said.
Its unlikely the Supreme Court will decide whether to take the case before the end of the 2016 season.
Then theres the Trump factor.
Trump now attacking Ruth Ginsburg, says she should step down ASAP
What about Ginsburg saying, I cant imagine what this place could be I cant imagine what the country would be with Donald Trump as our president. She even brought up a comment from her late husband, Now its time to move to New Zealand.
Trump fired back at the 83-year-old Ginsburg on Twitter, of course, with typical class. Justice Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court has embarrassed all by making very dumb political statements about me. Her mind is shot resign.
The Supreme Court receives thousands of requests every year to hear cases. They accept less than 1%, about 100 per year, which makes Deflategate a long shot to find its way into the courtroom in Washington. But hiring respected attorney Ted Olson, who has argued many cases before the Supreme Court, including representing George W. Bush in the ruling that eventually made him president over Al Gore, could help Brady get the case heard.
Can Trumps friendship with Brady impact Ginsburg?
This is not the same as Trump appearing before Justice Ginsburg, Wallach said. She is not going to recuse herself. The requirement for recusal is a higher threshold more than being a Trump friend. But it is an interesting dynamic. This will be the first instance in which a potential Trump-related matter is presented to Justice Ginsburg following her remarks. But its seven rings removed from Trump. Much is made of the friendship, but its probably no more than a public friendship.
Brady and Trump became friends after Trump asked him to judge a beauty contest following one of his Super Bowl victories. Can I just stay out of this debate, Brady said last season. Donald is a good friend of mine. I have known him for a long time. I support all my friends. That is what I have to say.
The best thing for Brady to do to ensure he"s in Ginburg"s good graces so he can stay on the field in 2016? Build a wall between him and Trump. Even offer to pay for it.
Tags: nfl tom brady new england patriots deflategate donald trump 2016 election ruth bader ginsburg supreme court Join the Conversation: facebook Tweet
Tom Brady The G.O.A.T. Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers reacts after the Denver Broncos defeat of the Panthers, 24-10, to win Super Bowl 50, Feb. 7, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif.
Kevin C. c*x/Getty Images
Cam Newton has been a superstar this NFL season. Theres no doubting the fact that hes one of the best players out there, but the Carolina Panthers didnt do enough to clinch the Super Bowl 50 title Sunday night. But its what happened off the field that has people talking now.
During his postgame interview, Newton wasnt excited about being there. And did people actually expect someone who has pretty much carried his team the whole season to be excited about talking about a loss?
Newton took a play out of the Marshawn Lynch interview handbook and wasnt exactly responding to questions from reporters. He didnt have the energy were used to seeing. After sitting and answering questions for almost 3 minutes, Newton walked off the stage.
What you saw was a 26-year-old man who was upset about a loss. And not just any loss. But hes supposed to be humble and show humility, right?
If Newton hadnt answered any questions at all, maybe people would have a reason to be upset. But even the MVP can get upset at himself for losing.
Its funny. Next to being forgiving, it seems as though black people should also be humble and show humility at the drop of a dime. You have no time to grieve. You have no time to deal with a loss. Its interesting how no one ever commented on Tom Bradys or even Bill Belichicks interviews. They get a pass; but Newton doesnt. h**l, you even had a former NFL player refer to Newton as a boy on Twitter because of his postgame interview.
Do I blame Newton for walking off the stage? Nope. He answered questions; he did what he was required to do. I do blame people for acting as if theyre owed something and as if hes supposed to be humble. But then again, its what we"re expected to be: forgiving and humble.
Tom Brady was roundly booed by the Super Bowl 50 crowd in Santa Clara, California Sunday.
The Patriotsquarterback was on hand at Levi"s Stadium as the league honored former Super Bowl MVPs prior to kickoff of the game between the Broncos and Panthers.
Obviously a great chunk of the crowd was pro-Broncos and the Denver fanbase has no love for the face of the rival Patriots. But it was somewhat surprising given that Brady grew up just down the road from Levi"s Stadium, in San Mateo, California.
Brady"s attendance for the ceremony came in question last week as he is still at odds with the NFL over theDeflategate scandal. The NFL"s appeal of the decision handed down by Judge Richard Berman, which wiped out Brady"s four game suspension, is scheduled for March 3.
The reaction to Tom Bradys suspension for his role in the deflation of footballs was violently polarized. When a player, celebrity or scholar sent out a Twitter message like Ridiculous, it was not always easy to tell if they felt the punishment was way too harsh or way too lenient.
Here is a sampling of Twitter reaction, running the gamut from All hail Saint Tom the martyr to Throw the book at him.
Tom Brady explained his pregame routine Thursday, and insisted that he did not alter or ask that b***s be deflated before the AFC Championship.
Tom Brady told media Thursday afternoon that he did not alter the footballs in any way during the AFC Championship against the Indianapolis Colts, nor did he ask for game b***s to be deflated. Brady said he went through his normal pregame routine, which involves picking out game b***s to be used by the offense.
"I choose the b***s that I want to use for the game," Brady said, "and that's what I expect to go out on the playing field with."
Brady faced a packed room of reporters. Several asked how the New England Patriots quarterback could not tell that there was a weight difference between the b***s he picked up in pregame and the b***s he used in the first half against the Colts, and again from the first half to the second half when the game b***s were reportedly re-inflated.
"From the first half to the second half I didn't think twice about it," Brady said. "I hadn't put one thought into the football at that point."
Brady also fielded several questions about his character. He was asked, point blank, if he is a cheater.
"I don't believe so," Brady said. "I feel like I've always played within the rules. I wouldn't do anything to break the rules."
Brady said he no knowledge if any of the equipment staff deflated game b***s, nor has he asked them if they did anything. Brady added that he would not have wanted that kind of help.
"When I felt [the game b***s], the were perfect." Brady said, "I wouldn't want anyone touching those."
According to Brady, the first he heard of the issue was Monday morning. When asked about radio comments he made that suggestedhe wasn't taking the allegations seriously, Brady said that he had simply been caught off guard.
"I would never doing outside of the rules of play," Brady said. "I would never have someone do something that I thought was outside of fair rules."
When asked how the team is handling any adversity brought about because of the scandal, Brady delivered perhaps the most memorable comment from the press conference.
"We're gonna be fine," Brady said. "This isn't ISIS. No one's dying."
Brady is attempting to bring DeflateGate to a close. He told his teammates that he prefers to have his footballs "a certain way,"according to NBC News. He also reportedly told his teammates to focus on the Super Bowl and not be distracted by the scandal that has emerged in the wake of the AFC Championship.
NFL officials reportedly found that 11 of the Patriots' 12 game b***s were under-inflated. League rules require game b***s to be inflated to between 12.5 pounds and 13.5 pounds per square inch. The under-inflated b***s were found to be two pounds below regulations.
Bill Belichick stated earlier Thursday that he had no knowledge that the Patriots were playing with under-inflated b***s until Monday morning. Belichick added that he didn't even know the league's regulations regarding the inflation of game b***s until a few days ago. He directed all questions regarding the b***s to Brady and the team's equipment staff.
"Tom's personal preferences on his footballs are something that he can talk about in much better detail and information than I could possibly provide," Belichick said. "I have no explanation for what happened."
In terms of the investigation, Belichick said that the Patriots' have fully cooperated with league officials.
