Football fans are petty fans. Whenever a fanbase feels that someone has wronged them, they tend to never forget those “aggressors”. New England Patriots legend Tom Brady got a piece of that action when he visited St. Louis a few days ago. Why was Brady in St. Louis, of all places? Well, it was to fulfill an obligation with the UFL.
Tom Brady was in St. Louis to award the UFL Championship MVP to the Birmingham Stallions. While presenting the award, the former Patriots quarterback was booed heavily by the crowd. It was certainly fascinating to watch, to say the least.
Why at St. Louis fans mad at Tom Brady? Well, we go back to Super Bowl 36, the first Super Bowl for the Patriots and the start of their dynasty. Their opponent in that game was the St. Louis Rams, led by Kurt Warner. They were one of the best teams in the league, with an offense that routinely destroyed teams. However, in the last moments of the game, Brady led a game-winning drive to win his first-ever ring and hand heartbreak to the Rams.
However, that win would soon be tainted by controversy. The Patriots were accused of recording practice footage of their opponents in order to prepare for their games. This would eventually be known as Spygate. What drew the ire of Rams fans was that it was rumored that the Patriots' Spygate shenanigans happened as well during their Super Bowl win in SB36. Since then, the Rams have not been a big fan of the Pats.
Tom Brady's Legacy with Patriots
I'm sure more than a few fanbases feel the same vitriol against Brady and the Patriots. Well, maybe not necessarily due to cheating, but moreso due to the dominance of that team during their prime. During the 2000s all the way to the 2010s, the Pats were the team to beat. Brady was playing at an insanely high level, and the team had the defense to back him up as needed. Six championships, multiple AFC titles, and a few MVP seasons here and there. Quite the resume, huh?
The Patriots are one of the few teams to three-peat. One could even argue that the Super Bowl 36 win robbed the Rams a chance at greatness, as it would've been their second title in three years. Other teams certainly might feel robbed of their talent: the Steelers, the Colts, and the entire AFC East knows all too well that the Pats were inevitable during their prime.
Brady eventually left the Patriots in 2020 after a few disputes with the team. Since then, the Pats have struggled to find consistent success without their star quarterback. They are hoping that Drake Maye, the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, can be the successor to Brady. It will be tough, as the AFC has never been this stacked before. Even in their own division, the Pats still have to worry about the Bills and the Dolphins.
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