By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) — OK, let’s be honest for a quick second: The idea of Tom Brady, owner of the No. 1 spot on the Boston sports Mount Rushmore and the largely undisputed greatest quarterback of all time, going to war with The Boston Globe, the city’s top newspaper and one of the largest and most respected daily publications in the country, is a juicy one.
The thought of Tom Brady, Mr. Politician who couldn’t even regard Roger Goodell as a villain after two years of DeflateGate fighting, going out of his way to avoid coverage from the Globe is one that could lead to a comical reality over the next year and beyond.
However, of course, we know that such a thing would never happen. That’s not who Brady is. He actively seeks to avoid any and all conflict, because, he says, “I don’t want to give my power away to other people by letting my own emotions be subjected to what their thoughts or opinions are.”
Anyway, given what we know about Brady’s philosophy on living life, it was pretty evident to most thinkers that when a Boston Globe photographer got turned away from the charity football extravaganza at Harvard Stadium on Friday night, Brady had not ordered the code red.
Considering the Best Buddies charity itself stood to lose more in the court of public opinion than Brady ever did, and considering it was a Best Buddies event, it was fair to surmise that the folks running the event were not eager to allow a Globe staffer to enter the premises. Best Buddies claimed that the incident was “100 percent not related” to the unflattering story printed on the front page of the Globe in April, which strains the bounds of credulity but nevertheless is the stance of the charity. (No other media outlets reported being barred from entry at the event.)
The reaction has been interesting to monitor. Based on informal observations, fans of Brady largely supported the move, as many felt the April story and its front-page placement was unfair — especially considering the Globe has launched no such “investigations” into the David Ortiz charity, which hosts Globe reporters in the Dominican each year. On the other side, many media members (and many employees of the Globe) expressed utter disgust with a move they likened to “censorship.”
Jason Mastrodonato, who covers baseball for the Globe’s rival, linked to a story about President Donald Trump revoking press credentials while referencing the Brady story.
In keeping with the presidential theme, Dan Shaughnessy wrote in the Globe that the move had the scent of Richard Nixon.
“There is no indication Brady was aware of this Nixonian maneuver,” Shaughnessy wrote. “Nevertheless, it was hostile and petty and put a bad light on a good guy and a great charity.”
Albert Breer of the MMQB (and regular contributor to The Sports Hub) said it was a big PR blunder for Best Buddies.
The Globe’s Andrew Ryan shared the story, noting a distinct lack of appreciation for Brady as a person.
The Globe’s Scot Lehigh said Brady’s image instantly took a hit (without any confirmation that Brady had anything to do with the Globe photographer being banned).
The Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont engaged with some folks who didn’t quite support the Globe on Friday night.
The Sports Hub’s Marc Bertrand said that he did a Google search on Sunday evening for “Best Buddies,” and the first 10 results had to do with the photographer being banned from covering the event. Twelve of the top 15 stories for Best Buddies weren’t related to the actual event or the money raised.
Clearly, there was much hubbub. What did not get lost in that mess, however, was the net result of Brady’s presence at the Best Buddies events over the weekend.
Given that the event was a rousing success, and given that Brady’s unlikely to lose fan support regarding a story that was critical of his charity work, it’s worth asking: Do you care much about the whole incident?
Marc Bertrand came out steaming at The Boston Globe to open Monday’s show. Listen to the audio below: