Tom Brady said what?

The Packers beat the Patriots yesterday in a hard fought game with a playoff-type atmosphere.  It was nationally televised as the Game of the Week.  In a hard fought game with a playoff-type atmosphere, it's not the 26-21 win by Green Bay that is stealing the headlines.  Instead, it's Tom Brady, the Patriots star quarterback, who was shown on separate occasions using explicit profanity on the sidelines as he expressed frustration.  The NFL will likely fine him a hefty amount for the outbursts (Rex Ryan was fined $100,000 for his dirty word).

The real reason so many are commenting on Facebook, Twitter and in the blogoshphere today about a superstar coming unhinged is because Tom Brady cares.  He gives a damn.  He's passionate about what he does, expects success and doesn't take well to losing.  Shouldn't this attitude be expected of every professional player across the world (and amateur players, for that matter)?  Shouldn't we expect a never-say-die attitude outside of sports, too?  The NFL has a lot of individuals who are more concerned with a paycheck than they are with excellence and justifiably receive a lot of flack for it.  Tom Brady is not one of those players.  He is compensated very nicely, too, by the way.

In no way am I about to condone the behavior or language of Brady, but here's the reality...  Tom Brady is an extremely focused individual.  He's more disciplined than 99% of the world's population.  He's a great football player, is ultra competitive and has a huge platform that he leverages very well.  When he's on the football field, the world around him disappears.  He's in the zone.  The rest of the population cannot begin to comprehend how detail-oriented, precise and intense the time he spends on the field actually is.  Is it healthy?  I don't know; that's not the conversation.  Does this excuse his explosion?  Not at all, but this is his reality.  What happens inside the arena of sports is not always family friendly.  CBS should know better.  They should be carrying the brunt of the criticism today.

Is it okay for Tom Brady to use profanities?  I suppose it is even if I choose to use other words even when frustrated.  It's his prerogative.  Should he be held accountable by the NFL?  Probably.   Was Tom Brady a good role model?  Definitely.  Is he still a good role model?  Of course.  Do other players curse during football games?  Duh.  Is Tom Brady the first person to use profanities during a nationally televised game?  Come on, let's not be so dramatic, of course not.  Is it alright for me make judgements of Tom Brady's behavior (or other professional athletes)?  Sure it is and probably not.  Should CBS have replayed his frustrations?  Absolutely not.

Today, Monday Morning Quarterbacks like me are making outlandish claims that Brady is an arrogant sore loser.  A cry baby.  An elitist.  That he should take the loss like a man (as if manhood is somehow linked to this).  Well, maybe...just maybe...this mentality is why he has more Super Bowl rings than anyone else in football.  It's probably why he has become one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time despite being an average college football player.  He should be a sore loser.  I love coaching sore losers.  I'd like an entire team of them.

As an athlete, I lost my cool a time or two.  I'm not proud of those moments.  I learned from a few of them, was justified in a couple, didn't affect a single person in most, regret some, forgot about others and no matter what they looked like, life moved on and I wasn't the center of the universe for any of them.  As a coach, I've acted out-of-line and been approached by athletes, parents, coaches and officials in an attempt to correct my behavior or tell me that they were disappointed in me.  I've acted in an unsportsmanlike way and those moments have happened as a result of anger, frustration, corruption and poor judgement.  I've second guessed my responses several times.  In everyone of those moments, I had the good fortune to be able to live the moment only in the moment.  There were no replays and no one wrote about my character online.

Fine.  What's the point of me writing something about what Tom Brady said?  It's to use the situation as a teachable moment.  You never know who's watching and exactly when they're watching.  Tom Brady doesn't have the CBS broadcast playing on the sidelines.  He doesn't see what we see.  He didn't know he was being filmed at those vulnerable moments and CBS has a professional responsibility to make sure those moments don't get into my living room.  We shouldn't expect to be included in what happens on the sidelines or between the hashes.  Still, it doesn't matter because you never know who's watching...no matter who you are.  That's what character education is all about.  Character is who you are when no one is watching, and guess what?  There could always be someone watching, especially during a nationally televised contest, but also within your home, at work or school or anywhere.  Is it too much to expect others to be on their best behavior while affording grace to those who "lose it"?

Remember what Uncle Ben said?  "With great power comes great responsibility."  We all have the power to make a positive impact on others and you never know when those opportunities are taking place.