As the New England Patriots prepare for Sunday’s Super Bowl, Tom Brady has decided he is backing his former team after all.
Brady, who won six Super Bowls with the Patriots, came under heavy criticism this week after saying he won’t have a “dog in the fight … may the best team win” when New England take on the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday.
On Friday, Brady reversed course. “You know I got your back [Robert Kraft],” he wrote on Instagram, referencing the Patriots owner. “Get that seventh ring so we can match.”
Brady won his seventh Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after leaving the Patriots.
While Brady may have been attempting to maintain neutrality in his new role as a broadcaster and a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, he received backlash from large swathes of New England’s fanbase over his initial comments. His former teammates on the Patriots were also unhappy. Vince Wilfork called Brady’s earlier comments “bullcrap”, Rob Gronkowski questioned his motives, while Asante Samuel claimed Brady was jealous of new Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.