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Summary
Summary
The thrilling behind-the-scenes account of how the NFL's most sensational scandal culminated in sports history's greatest comeback, featuring dozens of exclusive interviews with Patriots players -- including Tom Brady himself.
In January 2015, rumors circulated that the New England Patriots -- a team long suspected of abiding by the "if you ain't cheating you ain't trying" philosophy -- had used under-inflated footballs in their playoff victory against the Indianapolis Colts. As evidence began to build, however, a full on NFL investigation was launched, exploding an unsubstantiated rumor into an intense scandal that would lead news coverage for weeks. As shockwaves rippled throughout the NFL system, the very legitimacy of one of the league's most popular teams and their star quarterback began to erode, even as the Patriots and Brady went on to win that year's Super Bowl.
But as the celebrations gave way to the offseason, the investigation only intensified, reopening old wounds between the Patriots' powerful owner, Robert Kraft, and the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell. Brady was devastated and seemingly more nervous in front of a judge that on a game-winning drive.
When the dust settled, Brady would be able to play again - but only after watching the first four games of the 2016 season from his couch. The pressure couldn't have been more intense: Brady's legacy was at stake. If he failed to return to his usual self, all the critics and even the history books would have to put a giant asterisk next to his name, signifying one thing: he was a cheater.
12 is the propulsive story of this gritty comeback. It's a drama that unfolds in the locker room, the court room, and under the brightest lights in all of sports -- the Super Bowl. Now for the first time, readers will have an exclusive look into Tom Brady's experience and the NFL's shocking strangle-hold on their players. With unprecedented access to Brady himself, his teammates, and his lawyers, we will see just how a football legend went up against one of the largest corporations in the world to stage the greatest comeback in NFL history and emerge a god of the gridiron.
Author Notes
Casey Sherman is an acclaimed journalist and author of ten books, including The Finest Hours , a New York Times bestseller that became a major motion picture, and CBS Films' Patriots Day .
A graduate of Boston University, he is also a contributing writer for Esquire and Boston Magazine , an international correspondent for FOX News , the co-founder of Whydah Productions, and a much sought after national speaker. He lives in Massachusetts.
Dave Wedge is a veteran journalist and the bestselling author of Boston Strong , which was adapted for the 2017 feature film Patriots Day .
He writes for VICE and was an award-winning investigative reporter and columnist for the Boston Herald for 14 years. He's also written for Esquire , Newsweek , and DigBoston , among other outlets. A graduate of Boston College, he is a regular commentator on local and national networks, including CNN , FoxNews , CBS , MSNBC , CNBC , Good Morning America , CBC, and E! True Hollywood Stories .
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this astute history of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's 2016 Super Bowl-winning season, Sherman and Wedge (Boston Strong) begin with the "Deflategate" scandal. That incident involved allegations that New England deliberately under-inflated footballs for the 2015 AFC championship game, in which the Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts, 45-7. Brady, at the center of the controversy, denied involvement but was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season. The authors portray Brady, often vilified by non-fans, as someone who possessed a rabid work ethic and herculean football talent. With unprecedented access to the Patriots' organization-thanks to cooperation from Brady, team owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft, and DeMaurice Smith of the NFL Players Association-the authors focus much of their attention on the behind-the-scenes proceedings surrounding "Deflategate," including new revelations regarding NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's antagonistic treatment of Brady. Brady returned from his suspension and brought his team to the playoffs, and Sherman and Wedge detail the season that ended with the Patriots' Super Bowl LI victory over the Atlanta Falcons. The authors' balanced treatment of the quarterback is refreshing, making this a welcome addition to many a football fan's library. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's battle against the NFL in the shadow of scandal.If you're a fan of the Patriots, you likely believe there's nothing to Deflategate, the investigation that resulted when opposing teams charged that Brady had an unfair edge with an underinflated ball during the 2015 AFC championship game. If you don't like the Pats, you'll likely endorse the charge. Sherman and Wedge, who teamed up on Boston Strong: A City's Triumph over Tragedy (2015), write that they "were committed to write this book fairly and accurately," but their account isn't likely to settle the matter in the minds of fans, even if it was adjudicated and analyzed meticulously. Though the charges came mostly from the hated Indianapolis Colts, they were taken seriously enough that the league suspended Brady for four gameseven though, Sherman and Wedge write, "the proper inflation of a football had never been an issue in the long history of the NFL, as teams and quarterbacks often deflated or overinflated balls for personal preference," and with no statistically significant effect on outcome. Given Brady's championship record and the blotch the affair put on it, it's small wonder that Deflategate became an important matter for top management and a phalanx of lawyers. The authors give Brady plenty of room for vindication with their extended, almost play-by-play account of Super Bowl LI, with all its sportswriterly conventions: "Dwight Freeney, a veteran defensive end who won a title with the Colts ten years earlier, had haunted Brady for years.Now [he] was lined up on the opposite side of the ball wearing a Falcons helmet." Brady proved himself worthy that day, but a bitter denouement came the following year when, after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles, he conceded, "I mean losing sucksyou show up and you try to win and sometimes you lose and that's the way it goes."Not definitive, but a readable companion to the more insightful Collision Low-Crossers (2013), by Nicholas Dawidoff, as a behind-the-scenes look at the NFL. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The New England Patriots' Tom Brady is arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history. His image and off-the-field behavior had been impeccable until he became embroiled in the bizarre Deflategate scandal in which it was alleged that Brady had masterminded a scheme to partially deflate the game balls before the January 2015 championship game with the Indianapolis Colts. The authors of this account of Brady's redemption after the scandal have a definite agenda: to show how Brady and the Patriots recovered from their tempest in a teapot by staging a remarkable comeback in the 2016 season, leading to a come-from-behind victory in that season's Super Bowl. In the course of describing this heroic comeback for the ages, they also portray NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as a monomaniacal figure obsessed with punishing and discrediting Brady and the Patriots. Fans' reaction to this book, of course, will depend on how they feel about Brady, who like the star players behind other sports dynasties, are either much loved or easy to hate. Expect sports-talk radio to be buzzing over this one.--Lukowsky, Wes Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
On the way to Super Bowl XLIX, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were embroiled in a sting operation conducted by the NFL that ultimately led to the star quarterback being suspended for four games owing to his possible involvement of a minor infraction of league rules regarding ball inflation. Journalists Sherman (The Finest Hours) and Wedge (Boston Strong) provide an in-depth look at the saga that unfolded over a two-year period, concluding that the investigation was corrupt and instigated by the desire of duplicitous NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to make up for leniently treating the earlier Patriot scandal, Spygate. Brady's determination to continue to excel on the field while dealing with the drama off the gridiron is the focus of this book. -VERDICT Brady and the Patriots seem to have as many haters as followers, so this easily read work is likely to be greeted with a partisan divide. © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Prologue: San Francisco, California, May 19, 2015 | p. 3 |
| Part I | |
| Chapter 1 A Cold Rain | p. 9 |
| Chapter 2 Storm Fronts | p. 16 |
| Chapter 3 Pressure | p. 26 |
| Chapter 4 The Ultimate Fan | p. 38 |
| Chapter 5 The Underdog | p. 49 |
| Chapter 6 Game Changers | p. 56 |
| Part II | |
| Chapter 7 Learning Curve | p. 65 |
| Chapter 8 Taking Hits | p. 75 |
| Chapter 9 It's Good! | p. 84 |
| Part III | |
| Chapter 10 Legendary Status | p. 97 |
| Chapter 11 "It's About Honor. It's About Respect." | p. 106 |
| Chapter 12 Brady's New Team | p. 117 |
| Chapter 13 Power Play | p. 127 |
| Chapter 14 Kraft's Counterattack | p. 137 |
| Chapter 15 Tom Brady vs. the NFL | p. 144 |
| Chapter 16 Highs and Lows | p. 155 |
| Chapter 17 Isolation | p. 160 |
| Part IV | |
| Chapter 18 The Return | p. 173 |
| Chapter 19 Rolling | p. 183 |
| Chapter 20 Freight Train | p. 191 |
| Chapter 21 The Ties That Bind | p. 199 |
| Part V | |
| Chapter 22 The Locker Room | p. 211 |
| Chapter 23 Fire and Ice | p. 219 |
| Chapter 24 They Will Fight Their Asses Off! | p. 231 |
| Chapter 25 No Room for Error | p. 238 |
| Chapter 26 Unsung Heroes | p. 247 |
| Chapter 27 The Steep Climb | p. 255 |
| Chapter 28 You Gotta Believe | p. 263 |
| Chapter 29 Redemption | p. 268 |
| Epilogue: Not Done | p. 281 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 287 |
| Notes | p. 291 |
| Select Bibliography | p. 299 |
| Index | p. 301 |
