Former Patriot Sends Threat to Tom Brady: 23 Hours or Else

1. We’ve reached the Thursday of Super Bowl week and the biggest storyline going into the game is Tom Brady’s rooting interest.

The legendary Patriots quarterback said in an interview this week that he “has no dog in the fight” when it comes to Sunday’s Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl.

This comment did not sit well with Patriots fans and former Patriots players. Who knows if Brady made the “no dog in the fight” comment because he wants people to think he’s trying to be objective since he’s a broadcaster now or because he’s now a minority owner with the Raiders or because he just don’t care about this verion of the Patriots. The reason, though, doesn’t matter to many people.

Brady’s pass on rooting for New England even led to a series of unhinged posts from Brady’s ex-teammate, Asante Samuel. The only reason I’m even telling you about all this is because I love when someone pulls the “I’m giving you X hours” to do whatever they say since it’s so utterly ridiculous.

Tom Brady I am highly I mean highly disappointed in you not rooting for your ex teammate, Mike Vrabel who is about to do something special.

I’m going to fye your ass up one of these mornings. Tag Brady let him know I’m on his ass
— Asante Samuel (@pick_six22) February 4, 2026

Brady you can’t be the only one winning super bowls. 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. Brady knows how I get down. This ain’t nothing new to him
— Asante Samuel (@pick_six22) February 4, 2026

Tom Brady you have 23 hrs to respond or it’s up. I’m going ape shit about who you are
— Asante Samuel (@pick_six22) February 5, 2026

Can you just imagine Tom Brady running around today doing whatever he has on his agenda: Working out, making a smoothie, writing his newsletter, spending time with his kids, putting in time with whatever model he’s dating, working on his skin care routine, pitching Pizza Hut and then saying to himself, “Oh, s---. I gotta get on social media by 9:48 p.m. and respond to Asante Samuel or I’m done.”

Let’s see now if Samuel follows through on letting us know who Brady is by 9:48 p.m ET tonight.

2. A brand-new SI Media With Jimmy Traina dropped this morning. This week’s show features an interview with NBC’s Maria Taylor, who will host NBC’s five-hour Super Bowl pregame show this Sunday.

Taylor talks about her prep for the event, explains why Super Bowl Sunday is in some ways an easier gig than a regular NFL Sunday, reveals whether she has thought about how many people will be watching the pregame show and discusess the physical and mental nature of doing a five-hour show. Taylor also talks about her role as the Lombardi Trophy presenter for the first time in her career.

Other topics discussed with Taylor include what it was like to work with Brent Musburger and Lee Corso, her exit from ESPN, the Sunday Night Football studio hosts drawing attention for TikTok dances and much more.

Following Taylor, SNY's Sal Licata joins me for our weekly "Traina Thoughts" segment. This week, we discuss the Super Bowl, the Grammy Awards, another food incident that I had over the weekend, Will Arnett throwing out one hell of a teaser, the end of the Washington Post sports department and more.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

3. I’ve said a few times in this column that no one gets more out of their guests during an interview than ESPN’s Kevin Clark. He did it again Wednesday when he was able to get Joe Flacco to go off about the absurd rules in today’s game to protect the quarterback. Make Joe Flacco NFL commissioner!

I asked Joe Flacco if the NFL has a quarterback development problem and he launched an impassioned take on how personal calls have changed games and hurt the position and sport.

"We signed up to get hurt, you might not like that but it's what we kinda did." Watch: pic.twitter.com/51fkGnMnGY
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) February 4, 2026

4. The Portland Pilots were 22.5-point underdogs against No.6 Gonzaga last night and won outright, 87-80.

The postgame scene and interview were pure chaos in the fun way that should be what sports are all about.

MARCH MADNESS CAME EARLY ‼️

THE PORTLAND PILOTS JUST UPSET NO. 6 GONZAGA AS A 22.5 POINT UNDERDOG 😱

THIS IS WHY WE LOVE COLLEGE BASKETBALL pic.twitter.com/43FQE4Sh9f
— br_betting (@br_betting) February 5, 2026

WHAT A GAME TONIGHT.

Caught up with Portland's Joel Foxwell postgame, the man who was so on fire against Gonzaga he needed not one but two cups of water during our interview.

The Pilots' win marks the first time Portland has beaten a top 10 ranked team EVER. pic.twitter.com/Nujk5SbsSs
— Brenna Greene (@BrennaGreene_) February 5, 2026

5. This is a major, major problem if you’re someone who plans on betting the Seahawks -4.5 on Sunday.

30 of 34 NFL Network personalities picked the Seahawks over the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

47 of 57 ESPN personalities picked the Seahawks over the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

8 of 8 personalities from The Athletic picked the Seahawks over the Patriots in the Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/2s4h1vxuF4
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) February 4, 2026

6. This is why he’s the GOAT.

A missive from SF ⁦@JudgeTorre⁩ pic.twitter.com/ylsESfGpVV
— Chris Mad Dog Russo (@MadDogUnleashed) February 5, 2026

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Here’s what the Super Bowl halftime show looked like in 1995.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.