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And just like that, after just 11 days in red, white and blue, Antonio Brown is without a job. Brown was released from the Patriots last Friday after more allegations surfaced surrounding the All Pro wideout, who will presumably be moving out of the home of Tom Brady.
Speaking Monday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” Brady was asked about Brown, and while the Patriots quarterback said he harbored “a lot of personal feelings” that he had no interest in sharing, he did provide insight into his philosophical approach to acceptance, the reservation of judgement, and bringing out the best in his teammates.
Brady’s comments were transcribed by ESPN’s Mike Reiss:
“There’s a lot of human elements. As a player, as a person, I care deeply about my teammates. I want everyone to be the best they can possibly be,” he said on the program. “From the day I started with this team, even back in college, you try to provide leadership, and you try to care for people. You try to provide whatever you think you can to help them reach their highest potential — whatever situation it is.
“I’ve had a lot of teammates over the years, so you invest — not just your head, but your heart. You invest your soul. That’s what makes a great team. That’s what makes a great brotherhood. So I think in the end, the endearing trait about sports for me is the relationships I get to build, because they’re very meaningful. That’s at the heart, I think, philosophically, [of] my life. It’s really about great relationships and seeing guys from all different backgrounds. I think it brings all of us together in so many ways.”
Brady continued by adding that leadership means treating people in a case-by-case basis because everyone demands a different unique set of needs to reach their true potential.
“Everyone needs something a little bit different. Everybody’s upbringing was a little bit different. Everybody’s emotional states are different,” he said on the program. “How do you contribute — whether someone is hurting physically, mentally, emotionally — how do you provide to them what they may need in order to support them to help us all grow and evolve. Not only as individuals. Not only as members of the team. Not only as members of the family. Not only as members of a community. But everybody has different challenges. I think you recognize those challenges, try to provide them as best as possible, and go to bed at night trying to do the best you can do. If things don’t work as you hoped, then absolutely when you put your heart on the line, there’s emotions that come up. A lot of things are not always in our control. But you wake up the next day and try to find hope and optimism.”
The typically terse Patriots quarterback then launched into his damning assessment of a culture that is so quick to shame and blame.
“Again, it’s a tough life. Life is not easy. Football is not easy. Evolving and growing as people is not an easy thing. I’m very different now — at 22 than I am at 42. So I have a lot more perspective. Life is challenging for all of us … we all go through different aspects of our life and we try to do the best we can do. We develop friendships and relationships, people that support us, and sports has a great way of bringing a lot of people together. I believe the more you care for people, the more you love people, the more you find joy in your life, the better our society is. The better our communities are. The better our teams are. The better our families are. That’s how I feel.”
“It’s so easy for us to blame and shame because everyone has a voice now,” he said. “A lot of them can just be nameless, faceless comments that are very difficult for people. You love too much, that’s a problem. You hate too much, that’s a problem. You win too much, that’s a problem. You lose too much, that’s a problem. Everything ends up being a problem.
“So you just have to focus on, look at yourself, and ‘What do I believe in? What are my beliefs?’ I’m responsible for my own beliefs. I’m responsible for my own actions. And I’m going to do the best I can do to contribute in the best way possible. I’m not going to add on. I’m not going to be a part of this culture that can become very negative, can become very blaming, very much point fingers. I think as a parent, what responsibility do we have to teach our children? What society do we want this to become? How do we choose in the role we have to make a difference, to contribute in a positive way? And if we don’t, that’s our choice. For me, based on my upbringing, my choice is something that’s different than that.”
How can you hate this guy? Brady I mean. Not AB.
[h/t ESPN]