As we noted this morning, no one seems super upset that Peyton Manning may have used HGH. But some people — mostly in one specific region of the country — seem awfully jazzed about a perceived double-standard.
When Tom Brady got in trouble for his role (or lack thereof) in the Deflategate trainwreck, the NFL world freaked out for months until the league ultimately issued a four-game suspension that didn’t hold up in court. Now Manning is in trouble, and we hear crickets.
No surprise, the bandleader of this narrative is the First Fan of New England sports, Bill Simmons.
Peyton deserves the benefit of the doubt until all the facts come out.
Of course, so did Tom Brady.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) December 27, 2015
Peyton worked the media over past 15 years way better than Brady/Belichick did. Biggest difference for how this will be reported/dissected.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) December 27, 2015
Since Peyton Manning beloved more than Tom Brady's ever been, though, will be fascinating to see how this story's handled by national media.
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) December 27, 2015
https://twitter.com/PatsNews1/status/680948506232795139
https://twitter.com/iamjoonlee/status/680942400907382785
So where are all the #PeytonManning HGH stories. Tom Brady was crucified for doing nothing wrong. #Patriots
— kellie fogg ❤️⏳⚾️🏈🥠🥢🥡🤘 (@kelliefogg) December 27, 2015
Was #peytonmanning generally aware? Asking for a friend. #TomBrady
— Matthew Bamonte Sr. (@Mmb728) December 27, 2015
https://twitter.com/FauxDMac/status/681151581627244545
https://twitter.com/collinsz10/status/681153943980879876
https://twitter.com/NEPD_Loyko/status/681114766002262020
Brady's accused of deflating balls:
Suspend Him!
Ban Him!Manning's accused of taking HGH:
Who cares?!
He's innocent!— Only In Boston (@OnlyInBOS) December 27, 2015
https://twitter.com/OnlyInBOS/status/680960270110486529
Give Patriots fans credit, they’ll never stop defending their guy, even in a story that really has nothing to do with him.
But the thing is, did Brady actually get convicted in the public’s eye the day the deflation allegations came out? It seemed like most people reserved judgment to some extent until (incorrect) reports that 11 of 12 balls were deflated.
There’s also the fact that this report about Manning’s HGH use seems a bit faulty. The quarterback has denied the allegations, and Al-Jazeera’s main source has recanted his story.
Plus, it’s not like Deflategate permanently crippled Brady. He wasn’t suspended, and it seems unlikely the scandal will affect his Hall of Fame chances. Brady’s also still doing pretty well for himself: he’s still rich, still famous, still handsome, still popular, still great at football, and his team is positioned to win a fifth Super Bowl.
It’s always easy to assume the world is out to get your favorite team, but maybe Simmons and company can take a deep breath and watch how the Manning story plays out before grabbing the pitchforks.
I'll say this abt. Pats Twitter: They are super passionate. My feed hasn't stopped for an hour on a Tweet that honestly was not about Brady.
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) December 27, 2015
