A wise man once said, "if you have haters, that means you're doing something right."
That's certainly been the case for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick over the last 19 years. As six-time Super Bowl champions with the Patriots, they're arguably are the two most iconic figures in Boston history. But outside of New England, their names tend to be preceded by cuss words.
That's why USA TODAY has the duo on its list of biggest villains in sports today. Here's what they had to say about Brady:
Brady, 42, isn't going anywhere just yet. He's been quarterbacking the Patriots successfully (see: six Super Bowl titles and nine conference championships) with a swagger that has incensed opposing fanbases for nearly two decades.
Brady not only has a Hall of Fame-caliber resume, he also has a case for one of the NFL's G.O.A.Ts. He also was suspended as part of the so-called Deflategate scandal. Add in that he's married to a supermodel and it's easy to hate the Patriots QB.
Again: everyone hates a winner.
New England Patriots
They had a similar argument for Belichick cracking the list:
Every good villain needs a trademark wardrobe. For the Patriots coach, that's a hoodie with cut-off sleeves. The hood has dominated the NFL with Brady as his field general. The only time a smile may crease his cheeks is while he's hoisting another Lombardi Trophy. Belichick and the organization was also punished for its involvement in Spygate, where Jets coaches' signals were illegally videotaped.
As true as some of these points may be, Patriots fans surely have no problem being on the dark side if it means bringing more Lombardi Trophies to Foxboro.
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