Tom Brady, the New England Patriots quarterback, was drafted into the NFL in 2001. Since then, the Patriots have never had a losing season and have won 16 divisional titles, five Super Bowls out of the ten they have competed in, and are now heading to their 11th.

They will be competing against the Los Angeles Rams, and to say the least, the Rams will be having more fans that night than the Patriots. The Patriots, especially Tom Brady, have sparked a hatred among die hard NFL fans. Because of the Patriots winning streaks, many football fans are tired of the neverending Tom Brady reign.

However, the Deflategate scandal sparked some controversy in the NFL world. In January of 2015, an allegation occurred that Tom Brady ordered a deliberate deflation of footballs used in the game between the Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts. This resulted in Tom Brady being suspended from four games and fined 1 million dollars against the Patriots. They also lost two draft picks. This scandal gave some NFL football fans good excuse on why they hate Tom Brady.

Despite the scandal, Tom Brady has been given many awards like AP Most Valuable Player and Best NFL Player ESPY Award. He is the oldest player to get the Super Bowl MVP at age 39. He has five super bowl rings, and he stands alone in first place for the most regular season wins.

Collin Schwayer stands among some of the teens that tend to dislike the victorious quarterback. Collin says he dislikes Brady because, “The Patriots have cheated multiple times.” Although he feels that way, he still has respect for Tom Brady. He says, “He is not overrated. He is making the plays when he needs to, and he is helping the Patriots win.” Tom Brady is up there with many talented athletes, and he is looked at as a legend among football fans. Schwayer says, “He will be in the hall of fame for sure, but he will be remembered for all the incidents with cheating.”

McClain Adamson feels the same way as Collin does about Brady. He dislikes him because, “He is always looking for a flag whenever he gets hit, and I haven’t liked him since the whole deflated ball incident.” When asked how he felt about Brady not retiring yet, McClain said, “I mean he’s getting pretty old. He has a really good legacy and all, so he might as well end while he is on top.” It seems that most people who dislike Tom Brady dislike him due to how he plays and his cheating, but they still have a high regard for the athlete.

Joel Baker finds respect for Tom Brady due to his legacy as a quarterback. Baker says, “I don’t necessarily like him, I just think he’s one of the greatest QBs of all time, and you have to respect greatness.” When asked why he thinks people hate Brady, Baker said, “People hate him because people hate people who are successful and great.”

At the end of the day, whether you hate Tom Brady or love him, you can still find respect for the athlete due to his triumph and achievements. However, how you feel about his scandal and somewhat of a bad rep is only something you can decide.