Perhaps more so than any other sports fan subsection, fantasy football managers know how to hold a grudge. Whether it’s a first-round pick who didn’t pan out or a star player who flopped in a playoff matchup, once you get burned in fantasy football, it’s hard to regain that broken trust.
For one reason or another, there’s at least one seasons fantasy football player who’s not ready to forgive Tom Brady.
In a video that’s gained quite a bit of traction online, a daughter recorded her father digging through his closet to reveal over 20 years worth of fantasy draft boards that he’s saved all this time, recalling each fantasy team’s performance for the season. The first one he pulled was from 2012, and when asked who he took with his first pick, he admits he chose Tom Brady—to which both father and daughter respond with cries of “Ew!” and “Yuck.”
Now, Brady has weighed in on the matter—with stats to back it up.
As Brady adroitly points out, 2012 was a strong year for him. Though the Patriots did not make it to the Super Bowl, the then-35-year-old completed 63.0% of his pass attempts for 4,827 yards, 34 touchdowns and eight interceptions. By traditional scoring formats, Brady was the top fantasy quarterback in the lead that season, narrowly topping Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton.
Maybe this manager’s beef with Brady is a personal one—perhaps he’s a Jets fan, or a Colts fan, or really a fan of any team that isn’t the Patriots. Regardless, it just goes to show that even though it’s called “fantasy” football, doesn’t make it feel any less real.
