Is Tom Brady Becoming Likable?

I’ve got my hometown football team on the mind after yet another Super Bowl victory last night.  It looks like that passage from Daniel came true. I saw it (the goat) attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against it; the goat knocked it to the ground and trampled on it, and none could rescue the ram from its power. (Daniel 8:7-8).  I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised.  Daniel is after all a prophet. But let me be clear; I’m not writing this blog to gloat as a Patriots fan.  I’m more wondering about the possibility that Tom Brady is actually becoming a likable guy.  When I say “likable” of course I am not talking about New England fans.  We all love him.  I’m talking about what the rest of the country thinks of him. Was it just me or did Brady come across like an older, wiser, more humble version of himself during this Super Bowl run?  He seemed more thankful and almost dumbfounded that he was playing in his 9^th Super Bowl.  I heard him more and more talking about family and good friends and the things that really matter in life.  And who can forget this classic answer from a young kid’s question about what to do with the haters?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFOxHlyoocY He tells him you have to love the haters and wish them the best. It reminds me of Romans 12:20. On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on his head.

Look, I get why people outside of New England don’t like the Patriots and are a little tired of Tom Brady.  I’d imagine if I wasn’t from the New England area and I was rooting for another team I might feel the same way.  But I would like to think that Brady is giving fans outside of New England more and more reasons to at the very least respect him, and maybe even like him.  In an honest moment, I always liked Drew Bledsoe more as a person than I did Tom Brady, but I find lately Brady is giving me more reasons to like him as a person and not just as the greatest quarterback of all time.  I can remember about 3 or 4 years ago the N.F.L. brought out their all-time greats to be introduced before a game.  To me it ended up being a fascinating lesson on the condition of our society.  Ray Lewis, a likely accessory to murder, received a rousing ovation, and Tom Brady got booed. Unbelievable! At that time I think the fans just saw the arrogant pretty-boy quarterback who is married to a supermodel, who is tainted by spy-gate and deflate-gate, and who they were sick and tired of seeing win.  Today I’d like to think they are starting to see him a bit different; as a genuinely good guy who is thankful and even a little bit astounded by his success.  That’s how I seem him anyways.