Tom BradBy, not Tom Brady.
ITV’s political editor Tom Bradby has been getting a lot of attention on Twitter lately, and not just because of the recent election.
But rather, he’s been inundated with tweets from people who can’t spell, thinking he’s New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Granted, the pair’s names are separated by just one potential typo, and Bradby even has a blue tick to make him look official, but it’s alarming how people didn’t notice the middle-aged man in the profile photo.
Bradby’s timeline has been flooded with tweets calling him everything from “a cheating scumbag” to “a certified dreamboat”, and the best part about it is that he’s even started playing along.
It all started nine days ago…
So, I just worked through a really exciting election and my timeline as a result has…an awful lot of Tom Brady on it. Sighs.
— tom bradby (@tombradby) May 11, 2015
And despite the news of Brady’s suspension now being more than a week old, Bradby is still getting flooded with messages either abusing him, or offering overwhelming support.
Actually, having said that, a lot of my timeline is still filled with Americans who can't spell and news of Tom Brady and deflategate.
— tom bradby (@tombradby) May 19, 2015
Some of the tweets were pretty forthright…
@tombradby You are are a lying, crying, cheating scumbag
— Victor Rios (@Vrios1555) May 14, 2015
We're watching you @tombradby! #coltsnation #standup #rematchcoming @Colts @nfl #DeflateGate pic.twitter.com/Zkdxhhu5M2
— Mike Epps (@TheRealMikeEpps) May 13, 2015
How to catch a football @tombradby style.. #DeflateGate #Humor #lol #FTYF #OnTheJuice pic.twitter.com/QNgCErEOxT
— FlexTYFamous.com (@FlexTYFamous) May 14, 2015
.@tombradby pic.twitter.com/qFksHjtzwo
— Dyslexic (@LixDix) May 20, 2015
While a few of them were actually quite flattering…
https://twitter.com/2013SummitTeam/status/597903277154512896
I'm sending my love to @tombradby and The Patriots during these difficult times. You're a true American hero and certified dcreamboat.
— Sheryl Moran 🚂🇱🇷 (@beanielady58) May 20, 2015
On the plus side of Bradygate, have never – ever – been called a dreamboat before…
— tom bradby (@tombradby) May 20, 2015
Bradby decided to play along with the fun though, releasing an official statement in the hope that some less than careful new agencies reported on it.
Okay, in a moment I am going to put out a statement. Let's see how many times we can get it retweeted…
— tom bradby (@tombradby) May 19, 2015
In answer to the critics, I just want to make it clear that the reaction to Deflategate is vastly overdone – as is the suspension.
— tom bradby (@tombradby) May 19, 2015
For a comprehensive reaction to people mistakenly using the @tombradby handle on Twitter, click here. It’s well worth it.
