Brady

Here's another reason why I hate ESPN, and sometimes pro athletes alike. All due respect to Chris Berman, who essentially put SportsCenter on the map, but the man is not an interviewer, he is now nothing more than a reporter/regurgitator. Case in point is his recent "talk" with Brady. Mr. Berman tentatively asks Tom Terrific if he plans to play until he's 40, to which Brady responds in part by saying "there's nothing after football, this is what I was born to do and there's nothing I enjoy doing more." And Berman leaves it at that. What? I have at least four follow-up questions worth asking but before I get to that, I wish people like Tom Brady had the fortitude to be honest. The real answer to that question would, more likely have been, "the game has made me wealthy beyond my wildest dreams, I don't have to, nor have I thought much, about what I will do when I retire from football, if I do anything at all." I mean what the heck Tom, are you so eager to avoid the subject of money? Are you afraid of alienating the average fan? It's really no secret that you're already rich. Are you afraid of upsetting the "your sole purpose in life should be to compete and win football games for us" Patriots management? Most of us are going to assume that you will continue to breath and roam the Earth with some model arm-candy du jour once your football career has ended. You should too. I'm not saying that you have to have a plan, but you aren't likely to drop dead the day your football career is over, so don't give us this kind of crap - "football is my life". He went on to say something that I consider so blatantly ignorant it makes me cuss at the television. He said, are you ready for it? "I was born to play football"! Ay ay ay, you were born to spout nonsense out of your piehole. Tom wasn't destined to be a hugely successful quarterback, he got an opportunity due to an injury to Drew Bledsoe and took advantage of it. Tim Tebow was born to play football also if you want to look at that way but hasn't been given the same long-term shot at it in the NFL. I would have at least respected a response like "I'm going to go to a lot of parties and maybe try to get some acting or sports analyst work". But no, you intend to do what? Sit around staring at a wall somewhere, wondering what the hell to do with all your free time now that you can no longer do what you were "born to do"? Don't treat the common man with such disdain. So, thanks Chris Berman for asking the truly hard-hitting questions and thank you Tom Brady for having the guts to answer them. Or not.