Max Kellerman Took A Beating On Twitter For His Hot Take On Tom Brady
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Max Kellerman is the replacement for Skip Bayless on ESPN's First Take. So you know what that means ... time for him to spit some SCALDING hot takes for your consumption! He had an absolute scorcher on Tom Brady Thursday, and needless to say, legions of Patriots fans were less-than-pleased about it.
Here's the thing: Kellerman's statement in question, "Tom Brady is going to be a bum in short order," is only a "hot take" because of his word choices. Much like a comedy writer may start with a rough draft before going back to "punch it up," Kellerman may have started off with a perfectly reasonable argument about Brady. ... Just about all pro athletes tend to decline sharply as they get to age 40 and beyond, and Brady is 39 years old, so it would not be shocking if he dropped off within the next year or so as he hits the big 4-0. He hasn't shown any real signs of that decline, but did Peyton Manning show any signs of decline when he broke the touchdown record in 2013 at age 37? Father Time is undefeated. It's not a knock against Brady, it's just the reality of professional sports.
But of course, that's not how Kellerman put it because putting it that way wouldn't draw the ire of fans across the country. He needs to fashion it into something stronger: "He's going to FALL OFF A CLIFF ... He's going to be a BUM in SHORT ORDER!" Voila, HOT TAKE!
So, as hosts on shows like First Take are wont to do when such hot fire is crop-dusted throughout the region, Kellerman took a beating on Twitter that was pretty similar to lots of the beatdowns he's witnessed as a longtime boxing analyst. It was a healthy mix of dismissing Kellerman as an apostate who should be executed for failing to kneel at the altar of Brady, calling him out for a "Captain Obvious" type of statement, and of course the classic "How do you have a job?"
On First Take it's Kellerman's job to fire off blistering takes that could piss off literally everyone, so in that case, I guess you can consider this a job well done. Here are my 20 favorite tweets ...
@Max_Kellerman max I'm gonna be the guy that tweets you every time Brady throws a TD pass. Did ESPN tell you to call him a bum?! #Puppet
— Pete (@PistolPeteC) July 28, 2016
@Max_Kellerman I know you said the Brady stuff to get a rise out of people but come on man, not a hot take on a 39 year old QB. yaaawn
— Donny (@Bosstownma) July 28, 2016
Been a fan of @Max_Kellerman since Around The Horn but calling Tom Brady a bum?! Yikes! The ghost of @RealSkipBayless will haunt u forever.
— Wil Esco (@wil_esco) July 28, 2016
@Max_Kellerman #Brady going to be a bum in short order, ha ha ha. These idiots know who and how to troll #ratings grab #fraud #dumbdumb
— tony butler (@mizmaggiemae) July 28, 2016
@Max_Kellerman how dare you spew this blasphemy out of your mouth about tom Brady?.. I think you're just trying to grab headlines
— Richie rich (@richie_rich31) July 28, 2016
Tom Brady will be a "bum" soon!? @Max_Kellerman officially his of your mind! #FirstTake
— Rushard D. Anderson (@MaxJulien__) July 28, 2016
Watching @FirstTake and @Max_Kellerman just said Tom Brady is about to be a bum!!! Blasphemy!!
— Ayum (@TheAyum) July 28, 2016
@Max_Kellerman should be arrested for the way he talked about Kobe and Brady this morning ????????????
— Gl0bal ???? (@DJGL0BAL) July 28, 2016
Cc @MollyQerim @stephenasmith
How Dare @Max_Kellerman says Brady gone be a bum so disrespectful
— Kendall Adams (@Sandhill24) July 28, 2016
@Max_Kellerman way to go for those ratings and trying to out skip skip with that dumb ass statement about brady!
— michael pirre (@qbcoach18) July 28, 2016
@Max_Kellerman you warned everyone that old players who get injured at an old age are finished ? Wow don't think anyone else saw that .. ????
— BZ (@zeoli100) July 28, 2016
@Max_Kellerman dude you just made the most ridiculous claims about Tom Brady. Cannot wait till you poop your pants after his next couple SBs
— Serious Liam (@serious_Liam) July 28, 2016
@Max_Kellerman please feel free to take the longest walk off the shortest bridge! DONT EVER DISRESPECT THE GOAT TOM BRADY
— vi$ki ♏️???????? (@davidaNICHOLE) July 28, 2016
Also, it looks like Michael Hurley's piece on Kellerman struck a chord!
So it's both that I'm wrong, and that the point is so obviously right, that it's not worth making. Got it. https://t.co/WpYqSclXtC
— Max Kellerman (@maxkellerman) July 28, 2016
The lesson here, is that not all hot takes are necessarily wrong or stupid, but they are certainly all exaggerated for effect.
If you seriously believe that Brady won't drop off at some point as he plays into his 40's, if you think he's going to be throwing 40 touchdowns at age 50, you're ignoring history, science, and common sense. His decline is inevitable, whether it's next year or a few years from now. But if you take that reasonable opinion and use hyperbole to fashion it into a #HOTTAKE, you need to expect just as strong of a reaction. I think Kellerman knew what he was doing. Since this won't be the last time he has to spit some fire with Stephen A. Smith, he'd better get used to this.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.