Don’t be dumb, Tom: Show up to camp

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Mike Parente, GoLocalProv Sports Editor

The word on the street is there’s a slim chance Tom Brady might hold out at the start of training camp next week if the New England Patriots don’t extend his contract.

That’s funny; I thought Brady started his holdout months ago.

Tom Brady

While I understand the nature of contract negotiations in the NFL – since the actual contract isn’t guaranteed, the players need to absorb every last penny of guaranteed signing-bonus money before their bodies (or brains) turn to mush – Brady is in no position to use an ill-advised holdout as leverage for a lucrative, multi-year deal with the Patriots.

I’m far from the nostalgic type, so forgive me if this sounds like a lack of appreciation for one of our area’s greatest athletes, but if Brady is even half the leader we think he is he’ll show up on time next Thursday to make up for his sporadic attendance throughout the team’s offseason training program – a.k.a. Organized Team Activities (OTAs).

Brady is leading a double life these days as a father figure and football player and his parental duties have taken precedence over his responsibilities as a franchise quarterback. In a story that’s been well-documented throughout the spring and summer, Brady spent most of his offseason in Los Angeles tending to baby-mama drama with his oldest son, Jack (the offspring of ex-girlfriend/B-list actress Bridget Moynihan).

Typically, I’d applaud any professional athlete acting as a responsible father, but I found it slightly offensive when Brady appeared on WEEI in Boston during the offseason – over the phone from his crib out west – talking about how the Patriots weren’t “mentally tough” in 2009.

Any lack of mental toughness in professional sports is a sign of inadequate leadership, and as a team captain and the face of the franchise, it’s up to Brady to restore the solidarity once considered synonymous with the Patriots’ dynasty – especially now that recognized leaders Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel and Rodney Harrison are no longer with the team. His comments regarding leadership, mental toughness, etc., seemed a tad bit disingenuous coming from 3,000 miles away while most of his teammates were in Foxboro working their rear-ends off the way Brady used to.

Back in his hungrier days as a quarterback with something to prove, Brady was always the first one in the building and the last one to leave – a consummate, hard-working professional regarded as an offseason “Iron Man” who perennially earned one of the prime parking spots at Gillette Stadium awarded each year to the players who put in the most effort during OTAs.

Once his bachelorhood morphed into fatherhood, his priorities changed, and he made that abundantly clear prior to the start of the 2008 season when he told the press he “chose not to compete” for his coveted parking spot after spending most of that offseason in Los Angeles tending to his pregnant girlfriend. That, by the way, was the offseason following New England’s crushing loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

The old Brady would’ve been even more focused than ever following such a historic defeat, but the new Hollywood Brady decided he didn’t mind hoofing it from the employee lot to the back door at Gillette as long as he could bask in the California sunshine. The Football Gods must’ve been pissed, because Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury midway through the first quarter of the opener against Kansas City.

What makes this year’s malaise even worse is Brady is not only coming off his most uninspiring season as a pro (skew the numbers however you want, but it’s the truth), but he’s entering a contract year, too, which should motivate him even more to prove his worth to team owner Robert Kraft. The idea of him being here on a more consistent basis has nothing to do with male bonding either; it's about developing some rhythm with new teammates and working on your on-field chemistry. Brady's been away so much he'll need to buy a souvenir program to tell who's who when he arrives later this month.

I understand Brady’s resume speaks for itself, but you can’t reasonably expect any owner to reinvest millions of dollars into the most important position on the field for a 32-year-old quarterback two years removed from major knee surgery who – regardless of the reason – has shown less commitment to the daily minutia than in years past. Head coach Bill Belichick has been universally praised in this town for not letting nostalgia get in the way of smart business decisions, so don’t change your tune if, by some rare chance, the Patriots have a hard time seeing eye-to-eye with Brady on whatever contract demands he might have.

And while Kraft has promised Patriots’ fans Brady will be around for years to come, he also made it clear he’d have preferred to see Brady in Foxboro throughout the entire offseason. I’m sure Belichick and some – if not most – of Brady’s teammates feel the same way regardless of what they say publicly.

I’ve actually heard some well-respected writers in this town suggest Brady should hold out because it’s not worth playing and risking another injury for the $3.5 million (in addition to the $3 million roster bonus) he’s owed in 2010.

Are you kidding me? Brady is under contract. End of story. He’s a professional and should be expected to act like one, which means he needs to honor his contract regardless of the fact his 2010 salary is well below market value for a player of his caliber. The reality is long-term contracts are often always outdated by the time they’re set to expire because of how quickly players’ values increase over the course of time. That’s life. Every player eventually has to deal with it and Brady is no exception.

A holdout would be Brady’s worst decision since the Justin Bieber haircut he sported at the NBA Finals. Personal issues aside, the fact is he hasn’t been here the whole time, and if he’s going to go on the record as saying his team needs to show more leadership and listen to the coach, he needs to prove that through his actions, not his words. Show up, be a professional and do your job and the Patriots will respond accordingly.

I have no doubt that a.) Brady will be on the field ready to roll next Thursday and b.) he and the Patriots will iron out a long-term deal to keep him in Foxboro for life. I just don’t buy into the concept that he’s the same player he was several years ago (both on and off the field) or that he’s owed anything based on his past achievements.

Don’t be dumb, Tom. End this “holdout” you’ve already created and get your rear-end to practice. There’s still time to win back that parking spot.