Thursday afternoon, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady turned heads when he revealed his Halloween costume. The 42-year-old was dressed as a stormtrooper from Star Wars and was holding a large Nerf gun for his primary weapon. He also jokingly wrote that he had apparently missed Thursday’s practice after refusing to remove his stormtrooper helmet.
As expected, the fans on social media had a field day with the Brady’s Halloween attire. The New England Patriots have long been viewed as the Empire of the NFL with Bill Belichick serving as Emperor Palpatine. In the eyes of many fans, this outfit simply proved this point to be true.
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Of course, there were some that had some odd reactions to Brady’s attire. For some, this was just evidence that he isn’t taking the 2019 season seriously enough. Although this response was viewed by many as ridiculous considering that the New England Patriots are undefeated and have locked up a season with a record of 8-8 or better for the 19th consecutive season.
Regardless of viewpoint, there was no denying that Brady’s outfit sparked a large number of reactions on Twitter, as well as many more references to Star Wars.
Photo Credit: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire/Getty
This is the stuff that shows your not realy focused on the game anymore. We saw these type of warnin signs with Brown- dont go down that road chief. Do better
— Ned (@Nedsfeed) October 31, 2019
Twitter is a place where many fans love to joke around and create fake controversy. It’s very common to stumble upon a seemingly combative statement that is actually just a simple quip upon further examination. SportsTalkBarry was one account that was known for such posts, but this was not the only one.
One of the comments posted in response to Brady’s costume jokingly accused him of being distracted by things other than football. Of course, this was met with a mix of both anger and other jokes.
BB would be proud pic.twitter.com/EDCgD2u7V3
— Chris (@Chris_232323) October 31, 2019
Was Brady dressing up as a stormtrooper just a simple bit of holiday fun, or was it sign of something far more in-depth? For example, is Brady secretly shining a light into the inner workings of the New England Patriots? This team has long been compared to the Empire, and the fans believe that this costume is just further evidence of that fact.
If Brady truly is a stormtrooper, what does that make Bill Belichick? Is he Emperor Palpatine in this equation, or is he Darth Vader? The fans have already made up their minds.
— Gabe (@Gabbo529) October 31, 2019
As expected, there were far more than one simple joke about Belichick and the Patriots. Specifically, photos of the longtime head coach standing next to Emperor Palpatine were the most popular choice considering that there have been many comparisons made over the past 20 years.
What truly makes this an apt comparison is that Belichick is known for wearing hooded sweatshirts. When he dons the hood and grimaces at the referees, the football fans believe that he truly channels Palpatine.
aren’t you a little tall and too accurate for a Stormtrooper? #GoPats 🐐
— Stuart Miniman (@stu) October 31, 2019
“Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?” This was the question that Princess Leia asked the first time that Luke Skywalker walked into her prison cell. After all, he was disguised as an elite member of the Imperial military. This is understandable considering that Mark Hamill is 5-foot-9.
Brady, on the other hand, is much taller. The Patriots QB clocks in at 6-foot-4, making him one of the largest stormtroopers around. Interestingly enough, the original stormtroopers also known as the clone troopers, were based upon the bounty hunter Jango Fett. The actor who played him, Temuera Morrison, is only 5-foot-7.
Only stormtrooper to ever hit their target
— Ryan (@patsfanryan) October 31, 2019
Throughout the original saga (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi), the stormtroopers were known for an innate ability to completely misfire every time they targeted a friendly face. Whether it was shooting at Luke and Leia in the original Death Star or trying to annihilate Ewoks on the forest moon of Endor, these troopers could not accurately aim their blaster rifles.
Brady, however, has been known as one of the most accurate quarterbacks in NFL history. With a career completion percentage of 65.1 over 20 years, the Patriots QB is currently 15th on the all-time list. Essentially, he’s the opposite of a stormtrooper.
Probably would still beat the Jets wearing that
— Nick “Running on leftover candy” Rojas (@ROJO36) October 31, 2019
Throughout his career, Brady has been blessed with the opportunity to play in the AFC East, This division is viewed as the weakest in the league based on the yearly win-loss column, and 2019 is no different. The Buffalo Bills are competitive with a 5-2 record, but the New York Jets (1-6) and the Miami Dolphins (0-7) have fallen out of playoff contention.
Considering the overall standings of the AFC East, there are many fans that believe Brady could walk onto the field in a stormtrooper helmet and still lead his team to victory. After all, the Patriots have won the division 18 times since 2001.
— GifJif (@GifJifApp) October 31, 2019
With Brady donning a stormtrooper helmet for Halloween, the fans on Twitter felt the need to bust out their best Star Wars jokes. Many of the comments were focused on the ability of the Empire’s “elite” to eliminate the Rebel scum, but there were others that felt it was best to have fun using photos and videos.
Specifically, one fan channeled the unique “relationship” between Brady and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The pair have not always seen eye-to-eye due to some suspensions, but it did provide inspiration for a reference to The Force Awakens.
