New England Patriots
“He has a dog in the fight.”
Robert Spillane wasn’t happy with Tom Brady’s recent comments. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
February 5, 2026 | 3:45 PM
2 minutes to read
Several Patriots legends aren’t that thrilled with Tom Brady’s recent comments regarding his pick for Super Bowl LX.
Despite winning six Super Bowls over 20 years in New England, Brady was noncommittal when asked on the “Let’s Go!” podcast with Jim Gray earlier this week about who he’s rooting for in Sunday’s showdown between the Patriots and Seahawks.
“I don’t have a dog in the fight in this one,” Brady said in the latest episode of the “Let’s Go!” podcast with Jim Gray. “May the best team win. And in terms of the Patriots, this is a new chapter in New England, and I’m glad everyone’s embraced the Mike Vrabel regime, all the amazing players that have worked so hard to get their club to this position.
“We did it for 20 years. There was a little bit of a hiatus in there, but the Patriots are back and it’s a very exciting time for everyone in New England.”
Those comments rankled a few of Brady’s former teammates in New England, given both his accomplishments over two decades in Foxborough and his pledge that he was a “Patriot for life” in 2023.
“That’s bull-crap, Tom. Come on now,” Vince Wilfork said Wednesday on WEEI. “This ain’t political, what it is. Raiders ain’t in it. Say what it is. What, what do you see? … Man, look, at the end of the day, if you’re a ‘Patriot for life,’ you know what it is.”
While it’s to be expected that several of Brady’s former teammates weren’t thrilled with Brady’s neutral response, it has also caught the ear of players on New England’s current roster.
“Personally it makes me sick,” Patriots linebacker and team captain Robert Spillane said of Brady’s response while speaking to reporters Thursday morning.
“He is, and he has a dog in the fight,” Spillane said when asked if his anger is because of Brady’s prior pledge in support of the Patriots. “For him to say that, it is what it is. But at the end of the day, he’s an owner of the Las Vegas Raiders now. So he has to do what’s best for him.”
While Brady’s comments have drawn plenty of flak over the last few days, Brady’s longtime teammate Rob Gronkowski tried to do damage control on Wednesday during an appearance on the “Up and Adams” show.
“I’m not Tom. I haven’t talked to him yet since the Patriots have been in the Super Bowl,” the four-time Super Bowl champion said. “Because he probably wants to be the quarterback. He’s that competitive. He probably wants to be the guy in the Super Bowl right now.”
Unlike Brady, Gronkowski made it clear who he was rooting for on Sunday.
“I’m rooting for the Patriots,” Gronkowski said. “What’s great about the Patriots being in the Super Bowl is … it’s bringing back just how dominant the Patriots are.
“And there’s a lot of fans out there that are mad that the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl, which is great for us,” he added. “Because that brings back [that] they’re mad because of how many times we won.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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