The TB12 Brand: A Very Brady Scavenger Hunt

17 years ago no one knew the name Tom Brady. The guy was a fourth string quarterback, sitting behind Drew Bledsoe and back-ups John Friesz and the highly touted Michael Bishop. He spent most of the 2000 season sitting in the stands with the fans, unnoticed.

Today that 2000 sixth round, 199th pick of the Patriots has transformed himself into a three-time Super Bowl MVP with four Championships rings, three All-Pro selections and two League MVP honors  that have earned him a one-way trip to Canton (Ohio not Mass.) after he retires. (Whenever that will be.)

But also everything that he has accomplished on  the football field he has also done wonders for his brand. The sixth round pick out of Northern California has built a brand for himself. The "TB12" brand is big and goes far beyond him as a player. TB12 is what Tom Brady is about and is the reason why he became an 11-time Pro Bowl selection despite always being counted out in high school, college and even the NFL. The TB12 is a statement of Brady's drive both on an off the field.

It is also something that Roger Goodell is afraid of. Goodell is afraid of Tom Brady. Goodell rose to to become NFL Commissioner because of his vision of expanding the NFL brand but now he's seeing a guy, who is playing in his League, who has built a bigger brand than his. It's a classic case of David vs. Goliath.

Goodell is Goliath, the big behemoth at the helm of America's top sports organization versus Brady, who was the guy that was always undervalued and not expected to reach this level, let alone be this good. This one time player no one wanted now has brand almost as big as the NFL? It leaves little doubt that there may have been a little sense of jealousy for Goodell.

Brady doesn't outwardly flaunt how big his "TB12" brand is, as he rightfully should, but it has become a pretty big brand. When you have your own physical therapy center down at Patriots' Place, you're pretty big time. But Brady doesn't flaunt it.

Going back two years ago when Deflate-gate reared its ugly head, Goodell's jealously sprouted too. Handing down a harsh fine to both the Patriots organization and Bill Belichick while taking away a 2016 first round draft pick and suspending Brady for four-games - the same amount of time Greg Hardy was suspended for domestic abuse.

Now when it was reported that the Giants accused the Steelers of tampering with the footballs during their game two weeks, Goodell just swept it under the rug saying proper protocol was followed. No fines were issued to the Steelers. No investigation. No suspension for Ben Roethlisberger. No draft picks being taken away.

"All footballs were i compliance and no formal complaint was filed by the Giants," Goodell said in a statement. Basically saying, "move along now, nothing to see here."

And it's because the owners of the two teams are two of the legendary owners in the NFL; the Rooneys and Maras whispering in Goodell's ear, "it's no big deal." We have a term for that in today's society and I think the clip at left from the movie Christmas Vacation is pretty accurate description for this scenario.

Now speaking of the "TB12" brand, today "TB12" had a little fun with fans on social media. Signing three pairs of his old Uggs and hiding them somewhere around the City of Boston for fans to find and have a little keep-sack from the Patriots Hall of Fame quarterback. A Very Brady Scavenger Hunt.