“There is no loyalty in sports!”: Shaquille O’Neal had put the New England Patriots on blast after letting Tom Brady walk

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal put professional sports to the test when the New England Patriots allowed Tom Brady to walk out and sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The world of sports is a highly competitive place.

What makes it even more competitive is the presence of professional leagues like the NFL and the NBA. Every year, newer and younger players are recruited, and it’s getting harder and harder to stay relevant. However, some players, against all odds, manage to consolidate their place in the league.

In the NBA, there are many of those players who cemented their names in the game and in league history. Shaquille O’Neal is among them. However, despite being one of the best players and winning three rings in a row against the Lakers, the team transferred him to Miami.

This is not a rare incident. Over the years, we have seen many teams cut ties with their older players, even though said players have brought them success after putting in their blood and sweat.

In 2020, we saw the same thing happen in the NFL when Tom Brady walked away from the New England Patriots.

Also read: “Kobe Bryant was like an alien”: Shaquille O’Neal gives an insight into the Black Mamba mentality

Shaquille O’Neal called out the Patriots, claimed there was no loyalty in sports

Drafted in 2000, Tom Brady spent twenty seasons with the New England Patriots. Brady was a big reason to establish the team as a dynasty. In those twenty years, Brady won the Patriots 6 Super Bowls. However, once his contract expired in 2020, the Patriots didn’t match the offer Brady expected.

This caused him to leave and sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Speaking about whether he liked seeing Brady in Tampa Bay, Shaquille O’Neal said:

“No, not me. It just confirms that there is no loyalty in sports. When you’re older, they’ll forget about you. The day I knew I was dog meat, that’s when Michael Jordan left.

dog was when Dominique left. The day I knew it was dog meat was when Partick Ewing ended up in Seattle. I knew it. There’s only a few people who can stick with a franchise for twenty or thirty years. The rest of us, we’re dog meat. They get what they want and we move on. Because everybody wants to be younger. I’m not trying to get younger, I’m trying to win right away. You can go younger with the Patriots, but you won’t bring anybody or Even close to Tom Brady. I don’t know what you do.

Shaq might be thinking about the time he had to leave the Lakers because the team wanted to build around Kobe.

Also read: Shaquille O’Neal, who missed more than 5,000 free throws, puts himself down while trying to flip a bottle

Well, luckily, Brady found a home in Tampa Bay and instantly led them to a Super Bowl win in his first season with the team.