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Signs Being Posted Around Nation
For a cover story, GQ magazine asked its 2015 Man of the Year if he'd ever consider a run for the White House. "There is a 100% chance of me doing that," Brady said.
"I just think that no matter what you'd say or what you'd do, you'd be in a position where — you know, you're politicking. You know? ... I think in politics, half the people are gonna like you and half the people are not gonna like you, no matter what you do or what you say," he said.
The New England fans daydream of him being president. On talk radio and social media, Patriots Nation has been indulging in a little fantasy football, politics edition. Fans are imagining the dimple-chinned QB trading the oval ball for the Oval Office — with First Lady Gisele Bundchen as a bonus.
It's all part of a growing heap of hometown and nationwide hubris surrounding the defending NFL champion and three-time Super Bowl MVP, who've gone 9-0 so far this season. "I'll appreciate it when Tom Brady is president of the entire world," said fan Andrew O'Donnell.
Others point to a kind of precedence: If Ronald Reagan could turn his Hollywood celebrity into some formidable political capital, why not Tom Terrific?
Not for nothing, but Brady now shares GQ Man of the Year distinction with President Barack Obama. "He certainly has name recognition, which is the first and most critical part of what you need to run for office," said Roger Abrams, an expert on sports and law at Northeastern University and author of the book "Playing Tough: The World of Sports and Politics."
"And he is, to many people, a true hero - maybe not a John McCain kind of hero, but a hero nonetheless - standing up to the ogre NFL and being the greatest quarterback of all time," Abrams said. If — and, admittedly, it's a safe bet he'd run as a conservative. Asked in September if he thought Republican front-runner Donald Trump has what it takes to win the presidency, Brady told reporters: "I don't know. I can win on the football field and so I figure I can beat him in the political arena."
Brady says Trump is a longtime friend and golf partner, and Trump regularly crows about TB12 "the winner" at campaign stops around New England. In past interviews, Brady has expressed disgust at the current situation in partisan politics and gridlock.
Rally For Brady
"I haven't paid attention to politics before but now I do, really" Brady said in September while clarifying his comments on Trump. "In the past it's been off off my radar. But now it's different." Some contend the Deflategate scandal makes him the perfect politician: evasive and sneaky. "That's when I realized that I might have what it takes!" said Brady.
And some Patriots fans — even in liberal-leaning New England — think Brady's better than the rest. "Being a good leader in sports and being a political leader it's the same," said Arianne, 24, a technology consultant from Charlestown, Massachusetts.
Matthew, 41, of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, agrees. "There's absolutely no difference between being a quarterback on Sundays and being an executive branch leader. JFK was good at sports, and he was also good at government," Matthew said.
And he added: "That said, (Brady) would probably win."