Is Brady still a Hall of Famer?
September 17, 2015
When a player is a 10-time Pro Bowler, two-time MVP, and four-time Super Bowl champion, admission to the Hall of Fame in the future should be a no brainer- unless that player is Tom Brady. While there are many questions over Brady’s career, there is no doubt in my mind that he should be a Hall of Famer.
In the future, Brady’s career will be seen as one of the greatest underdog stories. He was described in his draft profile as skinny and not strong enough to play in the NFL. Thereafter, Brady continued to lower his draft stock by having one of the worst combine workouts that year. Finally, Brady was drafted 199th in the 2000 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots.
In his second year, Brady was given the opportunity to play a game when starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe had suffered internal bleeding in the team’s second game. After the game Brady was named the starting QB for the remainder of the season. Over the next 14 years, Brady has led the Patriots to four Super Bowl titles, six AFC championships, and 12 AFC East divisional titles.
Despite multiple years of achievements and triumphs for the Patriots and for Brady, those years have also been filled with controversy. Even some fans have admitted that the team cheated.
It all began on January 19, 2002 when the Patriots faced the Oakland Raiders in the AFC divisional playoff game. The Patriots were down three by with 2:06 left, and it looked like Brady fumbled the ball to the Raiders in the ensuing play. However, the referees reviewed the play and reversed the call, labeling it an incomplete pass, according to the controversial and now-abolished Tuck Rule. With possession, the Patriots would tie the game and win in overtime.
The controversial moments during Brady’s time on the team didn’t end there. In September 2007, the Patriots were caught illegally videotaping the defensive coaching signals of the New York Jets, causing the team to be docked its first round pick that year and fined $250,000. However, the incident has since been forgiven by most of the NFL.
After the Patriots were caught videotaping, the team had an extraordinary 17-1 season. This would be Brady’s most accomplished year, winning the MVP award, and throwing 50 touchdowns.
However, the hard times would continue. Now, the most recent scandal involving the Patriots has been Deflategate, which I find to be the most overblown investigation in NFL history. At the end of the investigation, Brady was suspended for four games (currently on hold), the Patriots were fined $1 million, and the team lost multiple draft picks. All this came from the suspicion that the Patriots may have deflated footballs slightly in the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts, which the Patriots won 45-7.
While Brady has been a part of these scandals, it shouldn’t reflect on his entire career. Three games shouldn’t define the other 235 games he’s appeared in.
When Brady retires from the game, he will still be remembered as one of the greatest to have ever played. He should be remembered as a scrawny QB out of Michigan who would create an unlikely Hall of Fame career with 392 touchdowns, 53, 258 yards, and more than 50 NFL records in over 15 seasons.
