Brady, meet Clinton

Tom Brady, Meet Hillary Clinton

 The View from the Middle

While in some ways Tom Brady’s situation couldn’t be more different than Hillary Clinton’s, but in other ways there are striking similarities.  The biggest difference is the actual gravity of the circumstances.  Tom Brady plays professional football, and while we have some rabid fans out there, no matter who wins the Super Bowl, the world order is not in jeopardy.  But, there are many similarities.

First, no matter how big a Tom Brady or Hillary Clinton fan you are, it is clear to most reasonable people that they are both guilty of inappropriate if not illegal activity.  It is interesting that defenders of both have used the same defense.  They say there is “no smoking gun” to convict them.  As if the only way to convict anyone of any crime is to have a video tape of the offense or a letter or email virtually admitting to the actions.

Do we really think Tom Brady is stupid enough to send an email or even a text message to the equipment manager or locker room attendant telling them to deflate the footballs?   Do we really think that a savvy, political operative like Hillary Clinton would be any less careful?

Yet, Ted Wells and the NFL have, in effect, found Tom Brady guilty.  Ted Wells said that he, “could not…ignore the import(ance) of the text messages” sent by James “the deflator” McNally.  Even though McNally never admitted to doing it, the connection was too strong to ignore, and Wells used the “Preponderance of Evidence” standard to make his ruling.

The evidence against Hillary and Bill is probably even stronger.  Of course we don’t have an e-mail from Frank Giustra or Ian Telfar laying out a quid pro quo for their speaker fees to Bill or their donations to the Clinton Foundation, but the connections are undeniable.  I’m sure that Bill is a wonderful speaker, but no one pays $500,000 just for inspiring words or pays millions to a foundation that only gives 10 to 12% of its assets to its beneficiaries.  The preponderance of evidence would suggest that influence was sought and clout was delivered.

The next similarity is the poor judgment used by both Brady and Clinton.  Tom Brady is a gifted NFL quarterback, whom many would argue is the best of all time.  In the very game that the Patriots were accused of deflating the footballs, New England pounded the Colts even worse in the second half, with properly inflated balls than they did in the first half with the illegal balls.  Did Tom Brady and the Patriots even need the advantage created by tampering with the balls?  And, what advantage did these under-inflated balls deliver?

Hillary and Bill Clinton are icons in America no matter which side of the political spectrum you occupy and no one is stupid enough to think that they were in danger of living their lives out poverty-ridden squalor.  First of all, Bill qualifies for his Presidential pension for the rest of his life.  While that’s only a measly $200,000 a year, Hillary probably pulls in another $50,000 from her pensions.  But that is just the tip of the iceberg. 

Through book deals and legitimate speaking fees, the Clintons could easily coast in at over a million dollars a year in compensation which would put them well into the top 1% of earners that the Obama administration loves to blame for the country’s problems.  The point is, they needed neither more celebrity nor more money, so why did they get involved in things that would risk their legacy? 

What is it about these celebrities that would entice them to risk so much for so little?  For Brady it was clearly not about the money.  His wife is a super model and their current net worth of over $400 million will probably allow them to skate by for the rest of their lives.  The Clintons also want for neither fame nor money.  So why do they do it?

The only thing I can come up with is a kind of greed.  No matter what they have, they always will want more.  Second, they must have a sense of privilege.  The rules are made for others, not them.  And by others, of course, they mean those other people that they feel are less entitled than they are.  And this may be the most disappointing thing about both of these messes.  Here are people whom millions have admired, that have tainted their legacy.  For one this may cost him the designation of the best quarterback that ever played the game.  For the other, it may cost her the White House.