James Develin: Tom Brady Is 'A True Gentleman'
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
HOUSTON (CBS) -- You know, these days, everyone has something to say about Tom Brady. Superstar quarterbacks in the spotlight during Super Bowl week tend to draw attention like that.
While everyone's opinion in this lovely world matters equally, I find it to be a generally solid rule of thumb to get the opinions of fullbacks. Fullbacks are good people. They work hard, they keep their head down, they get no glory, and they love it.
So, on Tuesday afternoon at the Patriots' team hotel, fullback James Develin was asked what Tom Brady is like as a teammate. He's a fullback, and an Ivy League-educated fullback at that.
His answer was unique.
"Tom is just an everyday guy," Develin said. "He's a really good person and is a real person. I think a lot of times, Tom gets put on this pedestal [publicly] because of the success he's had and the status that he's achieved during his time in the NFL. He's just a true gentleman."
Develin recalled his first encounter with Brady, after Develin went undrafted in the 2010 draft and spent some time on Cincinnati's practice squad. He was, for all intents and purposes, a nobody. But not to Tom Brady.
"I remember the first day that I showed up to work with the Patriots, he was one of the first people to come over and introduce himself to me," Develin recalled. "I think that really spoke to the level of respect he has for his teammates. He's just a true gentleman."
So there you have it, folks. While obviously a Patriots teammate would say nice things about Brady even if the quarterback were a colossal jerk behind the scenes, you can always trust a fullback.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
