Tom Brady addresses Chiefs being 'villains' ahead of Super Bowl matchup vs. Eagles

One of the more interesting storylines heading into the Super Bowl LIX matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles involves the Chiefs being villains in the eyes of many non-Kansas City fans. 

Legendary quarterback Tom Brady seemingly embraced the role of the "bad guy" before he guided the New England Patriots to a sixth Super Bowl championship late in that franchise's dynastic run. During the latest edition of the "Let's Go!" SiriusXM show and podcast, Brady was asked if he'll be rooting for the Chiefs to become the first team to win three Super Bowls in a row as he calls this Sunday's game for Fox. 

"The only thing I root for in these situations are great games," Brady responded, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "I will say if the Chiefs win, I will be very happy for them." 

Some of the same critics who said throughout the first two decades of the 2000s that NFL officials routinely made calls in Brady's favor have recently offered similar comments about the league's alleged treatment of Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Additionally, numerous football fans have made it known via social media over the past two seasons that they're convinced the NFL wants the Chiefs to succeed largely because of the relationship between Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce and entertainment superstar Taylor Swift. 

"...People always hated on us for so many years," Brady said during Monday's show about the six-time Super Bowl champion Patriots. "And I didn’t understand it because all I did was like, we try to do things the right way, we try to go out there and compete for our job and win. And there’s an excellence that I appreciate about people who are doing other things at really high levels because you understand the commitment that it takes for them to do what they’re doing. And to be in this country and to not cheer for excellence is beyond me."

Brady grew up a fan of a San Francisco 49ers franchise that was responsible for a dynasty in the 1980s. Some eventually wanted to see different teams win before the 49ers' run ended, just as fans experienced Dallas Cowboys fatigue in the 1990s and later actively rooted for Brady's Patriots to fall short of claiming championships in the 2000s. 

Perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that Brady views the dynastic Chiefs differently than do many who never played the sport at the highest level. 

"It’s incredible to see this team withstand all the adversities they faced over the course of not just this season or last season, the year before," Brady added about the Chiefs. "They just plowed on. Nothing’s distracted them. They’ve just continued to push forward and win a lot of games."

As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Chiefs as 1.5-point favorites over the Eagles. One wonders what Brady will say live on the air if he has to immediately react to Mahomes and Co. accomplishing something that TB12's Patriots never achieved.