Robert Spillane Calls Out Tom Brady Over Super Bowl Comments: “He Has a Dog in the Fight”
SAN FRANCISCO - Tom Brady might be sitting in the FOX broadcast booth for Super Bowl LX, but his comments this week have sparked a firestorm among former teammates and NFL veterans - especially in New England.
Brady, who won six Super Bowls with the Patriots and built a dynasty that defined two decades of NFL dominance, said on the Let’s Go! podcast that he doesn’t “have a dog in the fight” when it comes to this year’s championship matchup. That didn’t sit well with Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane.
“Personally, it makes me sick,” Spillane said Thursday during Super Bowl media availability. “He has a dog in the fight.
For him to say that, it is what it is. But at the end of the day, he’s an owner of the Las Vegas Raiders now.
So he has to do what’s best for him.”
Spillane’s frustration taps into a larger sentiment brewing among Patriots alumni and fans alike. For years, Brady was the face of the franchise - the ultimate competitor who embodied the “Patriot Way.” Now, as a part-owner of the Raiders and a rising star in the broadcast world, Brady’s neutrality is rubbing some the wrong way.
It’s not just Spillane speaking up. Former Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel chimed in on social media, questioning Brady’s loyalty and even suggesting he might be throwing shade at the team’s new era under head coach Mike Vrabel and rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
“Brady, you can’t be the only one winning Super Bowls,” Samuel posted on X. “Let me find out you hating on Drake Maye and Vrabel. ‘I don’t have a dog in this fight’ - not what I wanted to hear.”
Vince Wilfork, another Patriots legend and a pillar of those championship defenses, didn’t mince words either.
“That’s bull-crap, Tom. Come on now,” Wilfork said in a radio interview on WEEI.
“This ain’t political. Raiders ain’t in it.
Say what it is. … If you’re a ‘Patriot for life,’ you know what it is.
If you don’t think we’re gonna win, just pick Seattle then. Don’t straddle the fence.”
To be fair, Brady’s position is complicated. As a minority owner of the Raiders, he has a financial stake in a rival AFC franchise.
As a broadcaster, he’s expected to maintain neutrality. But for players like Spillane, who are in the trenches every day, it’s hard to square that with the legacy Brady built in Foxborough.
Spillane himself is no stranger to the grind. After joining the Steelers in 2019 and steadily climbing the depth chart, he signed with the Raiders following the 2022 season. Over four years in Pittsburgh, he tallied 191 tackles, three sacks, and made his presence felt in both run defense and coverage.
This past offseason, Spillane signed a three-year, $33 million deal with the Patriots - a move that’s already paying dividends. In his first season in New England, he’s racked up 97 tackles, including four for loss, along with five passes defended, a forced fumble, and two interceptions. He’s become a tone-setter on defense and a vocal leader in the locker room.
Now, as one of four former Steelers set to appear in Super Bowl LX, Spillane is embracing his role in the Patriots’ resurgence. And for him, the idea that Brady - the man who once led this team to greatness - would sit on the sidelines without picking a side, doesn’t sit right.
“I get it,” Spillane said. “He’s got business interests.
But when you’ve worn this jersey, when you’ve won with this team, that never leaves you. That’s how I see it.”
For a Patriots team looking to reestablish itself among the league’s elite under Vrabel, players like Spillane are bringing the edge and accountability that defined the Brady era. And while the quarterback-turned-owner-turned-analyst may be playing it neutral, the guys still in the huddle aren’t afraid to speak their truth.