Ring on the other hand
MVP accepts honor with typical dignity
HOUSTON — There was no “in your face” moment, no “How do you like me now?” from Tom Brady as he received the Super Bowl MVP trophy from Roger Goodell the morning after Super Bowl LI.
For as much as Patriots fans might have wanted to see some such act of defiance, the quarterback gave none, simply accepting the honor with requisite dignity in taking the trophy from the man who helped put him on the sideline for four games due to the Deflategate suspension.
In handing Brady his fourth Super Bowl MVP, following the Pats’ 34-28 overtime win against the Atlanta Falcons, Goodell lauded both the quarterback and coach Bill Belichick as among the best ever. He told Brady, “Tom, come on up; get your trophy.”
The two shared a somewhat awkward handshake and pose before Brady took the podium. Brady did not mention Goodell in a negative light.
“It’s just such an exciting game,” he said. “It’s an honor to be here and have the commissioner present us with this trophy. It certainly means a lot. My kids will be happy to see that trophy. They always ask, ‘Daddy, what about the trophy?’ And I get to bring them one home, so it’s pretty cool.”
As he did when the Pats won Super Bowl XLIX, Brady mentioned that he thought one of his teammates should have won the award. Then, it was Malcolm Butler, whose interception at the goal line sealed a 28-24 win over the Seahawks. Against the Falcons, Brady cited running back James White, who rushed for two touchdowns, including the game-winner, a two-point conversion and caught a team-high 14 passes for 110 yards and another score.
“I was telling coach earlier, James White is like my oldest son,” Brady said. “He just does everything right. You can’t stay mad at him because if he can’t make the play, he feels worse about it than you do. He’s just the best teammate. He’s an incredible player. He’s been that way since he assumed that role when Dion (Lewis) got hurt last year. I’m so proud of him and what he’s accomplished. I’ve seen him grow from a rookie to working his tail off and becoming a big factor in all these games.”
After completing 43-of62 passes for 466 yards, two TDs and an interception, Brady was deserving. Brady led the Pats to four touchdowns and a field goal in their final five drives.
“There were so many plays that I got back to my room last night pretty late and I was still pretty wired so I watched the highlights,” Brady said. “You just go through the sequence of all those plays and how many critical plays needed to be made. Coach talks about situational football and there was so much of that going on. To score two two-point plays like we did, down 16 against a great football team, and it was just a great team performance.”
Brady also talked about how emotional and rewarding it was to share the win with his family, including his mother, Galynn, who is dealing with significant medical issues. She had not been able to make it to any games before last night.
“To celebrate with my teammates and my family,” Brady said, “it was just a night I’ll never forget.”
‘Even though the score was against us, we never felt the game was out of reach.’ — BILL BELICHICK On Patriots’ Super Bowl comeback