Why would any man who is not a New England Patriots fan like Tom Brady?
The dude is tall and handsome.
He's got more money -- reportedly worth $120 million -- than a lot of third world countries.
He made $8 million last year to play football, something played by millions at recess every day. It's a game many men would play for minimum wage if they had the skills and talents.
He has a Super Bowl ring for every finger of his right hand, and he could get one for his thumb before he hangs up his cleats, if he ever hangs them up.
His kids look like Gap models.
Oh, and his wife is supermodel Gisele Bundchen. Before he got hitched, he was seen around the world with actress Bridget Moynahan.
Envious? Just to a dark shade of green.
Of course, if Brady is in the news in April it probably isn't something good, and this week's headlines were bad for the three-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player.
On Monday, a federal appeals court overturned a ruling by federal Judge Richard Berman, who had nullified Brady's four-game suspension for being involved with letting some air out of a football.
Deflategate is now part of NFL history.
The vote in the appeals court was 2-1 to reinstate the NFL's -- to be exact, Commissioner Roger "Richman" Goodell's -- decision, and now Brady, who will be 39 in August, is meeting with his attorneys to see what further action he can take.
The NFL Players Association also is pondering its involvement from this point on.
Before reading further, understand the Patriots are not the team of choice for yours truly. My favorites are the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. In fact, this reporter would rather walk barefooted on burning coals than have to cover a Bill Belichick news conference.
Yes, he does nice things in private, but this is about his profession. So that said, enough is enough with this ongoing debacle.
Deflategate was in the AFC Championship Game in 2014 season, or to put it another way, it is history.
Did the football the Patriots use not meet NFL standards for pressure? Yes.
Did it give Brady an advantage? Maybe a little, but quarterbacks on all levels like a certain feel or even scuff marks on a ball.
The real edge in that game was that the Patriots defense was superior to the Indianapolis Colts offense.
The Patriots led at half 17-7 and won 45-7.
Perhaps Colts' quarterback Andrew Luck should have done something with the football besides throw two interceptions that were returned for 30 and 25 yards. He completed just 12 of 33 passes for 126 yards and no touchdowns. That quarterback performance rating was an almost unheard of 23.
The Colts rushed for 83 yards on 19 carries, giving them a sum total of 209 yards in the AFC Championship Game. The Colts had one sustained drive, going 93 yards for their only score in the second quarter.
Brady had a decent game, completing 23 of 35 passes for 226 yards and 3 touchdowns, but the Patriots were going to win that game no matter how their golden boy performed. Not just because of the defense, but the offensive line, which opened holes for 177 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. Three touchdowns always beat one.
It is hard to like Tom Brady, or for that matter Belichick, but their football that day had little to do with how bad the Colts played.
Sports on 04/27/2016