Why Tom Brady should have condemned Donald Trump’s sexual assault comments

By
October 13, 2016, 9:52 am
tom-brady-donald-trump-vadapt-620-high_-37

Tom Brady, left, and Donald Trump.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady sidestepped the question of Donald Trump and sexual assault on Wednesday, evading his obligation to women all over the world the way he evades pass-rushers in the pocket (oh wait, he actually doesn’t do that very well … see last year’s AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos).

Brady is a friend and supporter of the reality TV star turned Republican presidential candidate, but as a husband and a father of young sons and a daughter, the QB also is a role model who can send a clear message to boys and young men in locker rooms across America that discussing — and in Trump’s and Bill Clinton’s case, possibly engaging in — sexual assault of any kind is unacceptable.

Failure to do so furthers a culture of entitlement in high school locker rooms and on college campuses across America that has led to horrific rapes like the Brock Turner case at Stanford. Professional athletes need to stand up and speak out against that type of behavior or it will continue to spiral out of control in our nation and around the world.

Yes, as a Colorado resident, I am a Broncos fan, but this has nothing to do with my strong dislike of the Patriots — an outstanding franchise that unfortunately feels the constant need to push the boundaries of the league’s rules. I am equal opportunity in my condemnation of anything that smacks of abuse directed toward women, in the locker room, workplace or anywhere in America.

Earlier this year I called on former Denver quarterback Peyton Manning — regardless of what actually happened at the University of Tennessee back in the 90s — to speak out against sexual abuse and the macho environment of entitlement at schools around the nation. He didn’t take my advice, and is instead spending retirement making commercial after commercial. How about just one PSA on how to treat women and girls, Peyton?

Now I’m calling on Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib, who came to Denver from New England, to clarify what he meant when he said, ““Trump may fit in if he came in here, who knows?” If there are players talking and acting like Trump in the Denver locker room, they should be exposed, and Denver executive John Elway, a big backer of the Republican Party, should condemn their behavior and condemn Trump’s comments and actions.

Talib has been a great player for Denver, helping them win the most recent Super Bowl, but he is a knucklehead on and off the field who allegedly shot himself in the leg while intoxicated last off-season. If he’s just spouting off at the mouth, that’s one thing — and he deserves to be slammed for it — but if there’s anything to what he’s saying, it should be investigated fully.

The National Football League also needs to lead on this issue. It has a terrible record of handling domestic violence and spousal abuse cases like the Ray Rice incident, and the league has an opportunity to affect real change in sports and society — something that could have ripple effects across the globe, where the sexual and physical abuse of women is an epidemic that needs to be stamped out and not dismissed as just “locker room” talk.

The following two tabs change content below.
David O. Williams
David O. Williams is an award-winning freelance reporter based in the Vail Valley of Colorado, writing on health care, immigration, politics, the environment, energy, public lands, outdoor recreation and sports. His work has appeared in 5280 Magazine, American Way Magazine (American Airlines), the Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), Aspen Daily News, the Aspen Times, Beaver Creek Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, the Colorado Independent, Colorado Politics formerly the Colorado Statesman), Colorado Public News, the Colorado Springs Gazette, the Colorado Independent (formerly Colorado Confidential), the Colorado Springs Independent, the Colorado Statesman (now Colorado Politics), the Daily Trail (Vail), the Denver Daily News, the Denver Post, the Durango Herald, the Eagle Valley Enterprise, the Eastside Journal (Bellevue, Washington), ESPN.com, the Glenwood Springs Post-Independent, the Greeley Tribune, the Huffington Post, the King County Journal (Seattle, Washington), KUNC.org (northern Colorado), LA Weekly, the London Daily Mirror, the Montgomery Journal (Maryland), The New York Times, the Parent’s Handbook, Peaks Magazine (now Epic Life), People Magazine, Powder Magazine, the Pueblo Chieftain, PT Magazine, Rocky Mountain Golf Magazine, the Rocky Mountain News, Atlantic Media's RouteFifty.com (formerly Government Executive State and Local), SKI Magazine, Ski Area Management, SKIING Magazine, the Summit Daily News, United Hemispheres (United Airlines), Vail/Beaver Creek Magazine, Vail en Español, Vail Valley Magazine, the Vail Daily, the Vail Trail and Westword (Denver). Williams is also the founder, publisher and editor of RealVail.com and RockyMountainPost.com.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login