Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady may have cemented his legacy as the greatest football player of all-time after he led his team to a Super Bowl win, the seventh in 10 tries during Brady’s unmatched career.
But Brady’s success on the field wasn’t the only thing the famed quarterback did to garner social media attention, thanks to some social media users who were outraged the Super Bowl MVP showed up to the stadium not wearing a mask.
“Considering everything happening in that stadium I doubt this actually matters but a dude as famous as Tom Brady should just do the right thing and wear a mask,” said Seattle based reporter David Kroman on Twitter. “I think I have to turn off this game. It’s making me angry.”
Considering everything happening in that stadium I doubt this actually matters but a dude as famous as Tom Brady should just do the right thing and wear a mask. I think I have to turn off this game. It’s making me angry. https://t.co/MjPFw6bdqW
— David Kroman (@KromanDavid) February 8, 2021
Kronman was hardly the only observer upset over the video footage of Brady’s maskless arrival, with many users piling on to slam the quarterback for his blatant disregard for their heightened sensitivities.
What is up with Tom Brady walking into the stadium maskless! Only person in the video without a mask! Come on Tom. Really? pic.twitter.com/HHjGiuM9gd
— John Shumway (@KDKAShumway) February 7, 2021
Literally everyone else around him is wearing a mask. But the most influential person at the #SuperBowl can’t even be bothered to set an important example, much less protect others around him. 🚮 https://t.co/ov9GfhEbz8
— Jon 💉 (@jmanker) February 7, 2021
One particularly upset Democrat even accused Bray of displaying “toxic masculinity.”
Obviously not @CDCgov guidelines since @TomBrady’s privileged, toxic masculinity is on full display without a mask covering his smug face.#COVID19 #coronavirus #TomBrady #SuperBowl #WearAMask #ChiefsKingdom #KansasCityChiefs #Brady https://t.co/DJCVboCqCS
— Jenna Wadsworth (@jennawadsworth) February 7, 2021
Perhaps most surprisingly, outrage over Brady’s habit of going maskless is not limited to social media. In an interview with NFL Network, Brady’s father Tom Sr. said he frequently implores his son to mask up.
“It’s serious. I mean, if we’re not wearing masks, we’re really missing the point,” he said in the interview. “You know what? He’s 43 years of age. We keep harping on it. Frankly, he thinks his body, with … he probably takes 45 pills a day. So far, God willing, he’s still healthy. But the answer is yes, we do [tell him to wear a mask].”
None of this had any impact on Brady, who turned in a vintage MVP performance en route to a 31-9 victory over the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
