Tom Brady spent 20 years in a Patriots uniform. He won six Super Bowls in Foxborough. He has a statue outside Gillette Stadium. And when his former franchise made it back to the Super Bowl for the first time since his departure, the greatest quarterback in NFL history went on his podcast and said this:
"I don't have a dog in the fight in this one."
That was Monday. It's Thursday now, and the fallout hasn't stopped.
Robert Spillane, one of New England's team captains, didn't mince words at his Super Bowl LX media availability: "Personally, it makes me sick."
Then Spillane paused, collected himself, and added something that gets at the real tension here: "He is [a Patriot], and he has a dog in the fight. And for him to say that, it is what it is. But at the end of the day, he's an owner of the Las Vegas Raiders now. So he has to do what's best for him."
That last sentence is the one that stings. Not because it's wrong — it's entirely accurate — but because it acknowledges something nobody in New England wants to say out loud: Tom Brady has moved on. The Patriots haven't.
The podcast that started it all
On the latest episode of "Let's Go!" — the podcast Brady co-hosts with Jim Gray — the seven-time Super Bowl champion was asked about Sunday's matchup between his former team and the Seattle Seahawks. His response was carefully worded, almost corporate:
"May the best team win. And in terms of the Patriots, this is a new chapter in New England, and I'm glad everyone's embraced the Mike Vrabel regime, all the amazing players that have worked so hard to get their club to this position. We did it for 20 years. There was a little bit of a hiatus in there, but the Patriots are back and it's a very exciting time for everyone in New England."
He then added, in case the neutrality wasn't clear enough: "I just wanna see good football. I wanna see good plays, good throws, good strategy, good decisions. And that's the joy in the game for me."
It reads like a broadcaster protecting his brand. Which is exactly what it is. Brady works for Fox Sports. He's a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders — a team that is reportedly set to hire Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak as its next head coach after Sunday's game. Brady was involved in the hiring process, per multiple reports. You can see why picking sides might be complicated.
But try explaining that to Vince Wilfork.
"That's bullcrap, Tom"
Wilfork — who won two Super Bowls alongside Brady in New England and spent his final two seasons in Houston — called into Boston radio station WEEI on Tuesday and delivered the most Vince Wilfork response imaginable.
"That's bullcrap, Tom. Come on now. This ain't political. Raiders ain't in it. Say what it is," Wilfork said. "At the end of the day, if you're a Patriot for life, you know what it is. Don't give me that political bullcrap. If you don't think we're gonna win, just pick Seattle then. Don't straddle the fence."
Wilfork wasn't done. He kept going, and the frustration in his voice carried the kind of weight that only comes from a guy who bled with Brady in the trenches for a decade.
Then came Asante Samuel, the former Patriots corner who played alongside Brady from 2003 to 2007 and won two rings. Samuel took to X (formerly Twitter) with his characteristic lack of filter:
"Tom Brady I am highly I mean highly disappointed in you not rooting for your ex teammate, Mike Vrabel who is about to do something special. I'm going to fye your a-- up one of these mornings."
Samuel's bio on X reads "Professional S--- Talker." He meant every word.
Gronkowski takes the other side
Not every Brady associate is upset. Rob Gronkowski, Brady's most famous target and the man who followed him from New England to Tampa Bay for a fourth ring, went the opposite direction this week.
"I'm rooting for the Patriots," Gronkowski said Wednesday. "What's great about the Patriots being in the Super Bowl is that it shows, it's bringing back just how dominant the Patriots are. And there's a lot of fans out there that are mad that the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl, which is great for us. Because that brings back they're mad because of how many times we won."
Gronk gets it. The dynasty era isn't just history — it's identity. For a whole generation of Patriots fans and players, being a Patriot meant something specific, and rooting for the Pats was non-negotiable. Brady saying otherwise feels like a betrayal, even if it technically isn't one.
Dave Portnoy weighs in, because of course
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, the self-appointed voice of Boston sports fandom, put out a message aimed "for Patriots fans' eyes only."
"I think it's bulls--- Tom Brady said he has no dog in the fight for the Super Bowl," Portnoy said. "It's pretty obvious he doesn't give a s--- about us anymore, so maybe we shouldn't care about him either. Maybe it was just professional, and that's fine."
That might be the most measured thing Portnoy has ever said, which tells you how widespread the frustration is.
What's really going on
Let's be fair to Brady for a second. He's 48 years old. He retired after the 2023 season. He finished his playing career in Tampa, not New England. He became a Fox broadcaster in 2024 and called last year's Super Bowl between the Chiefs and Eagles. He's a minority owner of the Raiders, an NFL franchise that may have its next head coach playing on one of the two teams Sunday. He's attending the game at Levi's Stadium — which happens to be 30 miles from where he grew up in San Mateo — as a fan, not a broadcaster, because NBC has the rights this year.
From a professional standpoint, neutrality makes total sense. Brady has business relationships on both sides. The Seahawks' Kubiak is about to become his coach. His old teammate Vrabel is running the other sideline. Picking a side has real consequences.
But here's the thing: nobody asked for a press release. Wilfork is right — just say what you feel. If you're conflicted, say you're conflicted. If you're rooting for Vrabel because you spent eight years together, say that. If you can't because of the Raiders connection, explain it honestly instead of hiding behind "I just wanna see good football."
The "I'm neutral" stance might be smart business. It's terrible friendship. And in a league that runs on loyalty and brotherhood and all those things players talk about in the locker room, choosing not to choose is itself a choice.
Brady will be in the stands Sunday night. The Super Bowl LX matchup — a rematch of that unforgettable 2015 game that ended with Malcolm Butler's goal-line interception — kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET. New England, led by second-year quarterback Drake Maye and first-year head coach Mike Vrabel, will try to win a record seventh Lombardi Trophy.
Tom Brady won't be cheering for them.
New England noticed.
Sources: NBC Sports (Josh Alper), CBS Sports, ESPN, WEEI 93.7 Boston, Sky Sports, The Sporting News, Yahoo Sports. Brady quotes via "Let's Go!" podcast with Jim Gray. Spillane quotes via Super Bowl LX media day (2/5/26). Wilfork quotes via WEEI interview (2/4/26). Samuel quotes via X (2/4/26). Gronkowski and Portnoy quotes via media appearances (2/5/26).