On Sunday, January 25, future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-26 victory over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, advancing to Super Bowl LV to face off against the Kansas City Chiefs.
This is the first title appearance for the Buccaneers since 2003, and the 10th Super Bowl appearance for Brady. To put this achievement in perspective, Brady’s soon-to-be opponent Patrick Mahomes — who may very well be his heir in terms of talent — was in kindergarten when Brady won his first Super Bowl against the St. Louis Rams in 2002.
With Brady dominating sports headlines, it seems appropriate to remember that he is often the focus of political and cultural criticism. Here are three of the more memorable times Brady triggered the Left.
MAGA Hat in Brady’s Locker
During an interview in 2015, a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat was spotted in then-Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s locker. This sparked a flurry of desperately angry tweets and responses from Hollywood, and all of those on the Left, shaking with disbelief.
“Can I just stay out of this debate? Donald is a good friend of mine. I have known him for a long time. I support all my friends,” Brady responded.
Speaking to Variety prior to Super Bowl XXXVI, Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe was nothing short of triggered. Even though the “hat incident” was two-years removed, he couldn’t let it go. When asked who he was rooting for in the Super Bowl, Radcliffe immediately went with the Rams. “[Brady] should stop winning things. Take that MAGA hat out of your locker…. C’mon dude!”
Even though Brady has clarified to Leftist and sports media alike that he had the hat because of a friendship with the President of the United States — not necessarily because of his ideological leanings — they all came out swinging.
Golfing History with President Trump
In some ominous way, the Left’s craving for cancel culture gratifies their sensibilities, by furnishing the notion that we all must live up to a utopian standard. Of course, this standard only takes into account what is “politically correct” in modern times, with rules changing every day. Join the mob or else, in other words.
It goes without saying that Brady’s history of golfing with Donald Trump is one such cancelable offense, uncovered during the “hat incident” as journalists investigated Brady and Trump’s past relationship. At a press conference in Cincinnati, one media member asked “Tom, you have kids of your own. How would you respond if your kids heard Donald Trump’s version of locker room talk?” Brady proceeded to walk out of the room, chuckling.
When Trump was the Republican presidential front-runner, the media started poking Brady about his golf experiences with Trump. GQ writer Chuck Klosterman performed a lengthy interview with Brady. At the end of the piece, Klosterman asked Brady if Trump “cheats.”
“Nah. He just — he doesn’t lose,” Brady responded.
“I mean it’s pretty amazing what he’s been able to accomplish,” Brady also said on WEEI radio when referring to then-candidate President Trump in 2015, “He obviously appeals to a lot of people, and he’s a hell of a lot of fun to play golf with.”
Time magazine would cover this story in late 2015, which is now resurfacing as Brady, yet again, heads to the Super Bowl.
Trending Discussion of Kaepernick on Twitter
On January 25 — the day after the Buccaneers beat the Green Bay Packers to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LV — the Left went on a Kaepernick-related spree. The trending topic on Twitter read as follows:
“As Tom Brady makes his way to another Super Bowl, some football fans are pointing out that the quarterback’s politics, i.e., his friendship with Donald Trump, haven’t derailed his career in the way that Colin Kaepernick’s peaceful protests of police violence did, arguably leading to his exit from the NFL.”
Funny how people can separate Tom Brady’s politics from his game, but struggle to do the same when it comes to Kaepernick.
— Ahmed Ali (@MrAhmednurAli) January 25, 2021
This week, The New York Times published a column “revisiting” Colin Kaepernick, arguing that the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback deserves a second chance. What author Kurt Streeter — and many others — fail to recognize is that Kaepernick’s poor performance resulted in his replacement by first round pick Blaine Gabbert. Then, in 2019 Kaepernick rejected his second change after the NFL organized a private workout and invited dozens of coaches and personnel. Instead, the quarterback practiced elsewhere while wearing a divisive “Kunta Kinte shirt.”
In reality, the truth is simple. Brady is in the Super Bowl because of his talent. Kaepernick is not in the NFL because of his lack of talent.
Follow Gabe Kaminsky on Twitter @Gabe__Kaminsky
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.