Conspiracy Theory - Is Tom Brady Sabotaging the Patriots?

Summary

Payne & Pendergast
Episode: Conspiracy Theory - Is Tom Brady Sabotaging the Patriots?
Date: July 10, 2026
Hosts: Seth Payne, (guest host) Luke Morrow, Seth Pendergast

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Episode Overview

In this humorous and lively installment of Payne & Pendergast, the hosts dive headfirst into a wild emerging conspiracy theory in NFL circles: Is Tom Brady now an active saboteur of the New England Patriots? The crew dissects reports and rumors swirling after cryptic comments from NFL figures, debates Brady’s loyalties and current persona, and wade through the social media hysteria. Later, the conversation pivots to a lighter-hearted “Mandela effect” conspiracy involving Seth Payne and former Ravens quarterback Trent Dilfer.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Tom Brady “Sabotage” Conspiracy

Segment start: [01:31]

• The team introduces the idea that Tom Brady may be “actively sabotaging” the Patriots, spurred by vague but viral rumors in New England fan circles and recent Tom Brady behavior.
• Origins: The discussion stems from comments by Mike McDonald (NFL coach), made during an interview with Dan Patrick, where McDonald cryptically cited help from someone with a “conflict of interest”—but refused to name them.
  • Patrick guesses Belichick, but McDonald dismisses it:
    “I have had a beer with Coach Belichick, and that was a pretty cool day.” [03:01]
• Fan Reaction: Patriots fans on social media jump to the conclusion it's Brady, expressing outrage and betrayal.
  • A Patriots fan tweet referenced on-air:
    “It’s [bleeping] disgusting how obvious it is. I cannot believe how far Tom has fallen. ... Tom is now the villain.” – Read by Seth Payne [03:37]
• Brady’s Public Distance: The hosts recall how, during a Super Bowl, Brady openly said he had “no dog in the fight” when asked about the outcome, which many fans found odd given his history with the Patriots [02:16, 04:55].

2. Parsing the Conspiracy

• Is it plausible?
  • Seth and Luke poke fun at the rumor’s circular logic:
    • “Like, there’s no actual proof that it’s Brady. And also there’s no proof that he refused to talk to Drake May ... with no proof yet. And [that] still makes Tom Brady the villain after everything he did for us.” – Luke Morrow [04:26]
  • Still, the hosts note how these kinds of unsupported rumors can quickly “catch flames” among diehard fans [04:18].
• Brady’s New Roles:
  • As both a broadcaster and a part-owner of the Raiders, Brady might have reasons to feign impartiality, but it feels “conspicuous” to the hosts.
    • “Even though he won multiple Super Bowls with the Patriots, it didn’t quite... It seemed odd.” – Seth Pendergast [05:09]
• Hosts’ Tongue-in-Cheek Takes:
  • The crew mockingly decides to buy into every new anti-Patriots Brady rumor going forward:
    “Now I believe any of these rumors I’m going to buy into of any of these Tom Brady now anti-Patriot rumors.” – Luke Morrow [06:04]
  • “I agree with and believe every single rumor. I’m going to hear about this from this point forward.” – Seth Payne [07:42]

3. The “Conflict of Interest” Speculation

[06:12-09:03]

• The hosts debate who Mike McDonald might actually be referencing as the anonymous advisor with a “conflict of interest.”
  • Could it be another prominent ex-Patriot? Another coach?
  • They consider whether it might be a broadcaster, such as Gronk or Julian Edelman, who is now employed with a network.
    • “Does he simply mean because they are a Patriot, or because they’re a broadcaster that’s not supposed to pick a side?” – Luke Morrow [07:49]
  • Short answer: Nobody really knows, and the guessing is part of the fun.

4. Bill Belichick’s Alleged Pettiness

[06:49]

• Seth and Seth run through recent reports of Belichick feeling jilted by his former team—alleging the Patriots have barred him and his scouts from facilities, all while attending Pro Patriot events elsewhere.
  • “Belichick is petty as hell right now about the Patriots.” – Seth Pendergast [07:09]
  • “So, like Belichick, super petty about the Patriots right now.” – Seth Payne [07:29]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Playful skepticism:
  “With no proof yet. And that still makes Tom Brady the villain after everything he did for us.” – Luke Morrow [04:26]
• Impartial NFL roles?
  “It seemed odd that in a simple situation ... you can just go ahead and say, ‘Yeah, I hope the Patriots win.’” – Seth Pendergast [05:44]
• Going all-in on wild rumors:
  “Now I believe any of these rumors I’m going to buy into of any of these Tom Brady now anti-Patriot rumors.” – Luke Morrow [06:04]
  “I agree with and believe every single rumor. I’m going to hear about this from this point forward.” – Seth Payne [07:42]
• On NFL backchannels:
  “It’s two degrees of separation with just about anybody that’s been in the NFL for any amount of time.” – Seth Payne [08:17]

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Segment Timings

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:31 | Episode begins, “Tom Brady sabotaging Patriots” conspiracy intro | | 02:16 | Brady’s “no dog in the fight” Super Bowl remarks | | 03:26 | Mike McDonald’s Dan Patrick interview and anonymous advisor comment | | 03:37 | Social media: Patriots fans turn on Brady, wild accusations | | 05:09 | Brady’s roles, impartiality, and links to Raiders | | 06:12 | Speculating on “conflict of interest” source | | 06:49 | Belichick’s supposed pettiness toward the Patriots | | 09:03 | Segment shift, ad transition |

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Bonus: The “Mandela Effect” – Seth Payne vs. Trent Dilfer

[10:46]
The episode closes out with a comic detour. Seth Payne discovers that when you Google him, a photo of Trent Dilfer pops up instead.

• “If Trent Dilfer pops up, I swear to God... Elsewhere Corporation, I am going to kick your butt.” – Seth Payne [11:44]
• Discussion of why Google might confuse the two, and jokes at Dilfer’s expense, including his infamous ESPN quote: “In order to win the game, you got to score more points.” – Luke Morrow [12:17]
• Conclusion: Mistaken identity is both baffling and, to the hosts, subtly offensive.

---

Overall Tone & Takeaways

• The conversation is irreverent, tongue-in-cheek, and full of inside jokes—classic for Payne & Pendergast.
• The two active “conspiracies” (Brady sabotaging the Pats and Google confusing Payne/Dilfer) are treated equally playfully.
• While the original rumor is mocked for its lack of evidence, it’s acknowledged that fan emotions and rumor mills often write their own storylines—sometimes outpacing anything the athletes themselves do or say.

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For Listeners

If you missed the episode, you’ll leave the summary understanding just how quickly NFL rumors can become “reality,” how fan logic works, and why no one is safe from Google image search errors (not even former NFL players turned broadcasters).

Transcript

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[Luke Morrow]

ourselves a new conspiracy theory in the NFL. Let's talk it out here on Pain and Pendergast. I'm Luke Morrow in for Sean alongside Seth Payne. 713-572-4610 on the text line, YouTube and Twitch chats as well. There you go. That's right.

[Seth Payne]

We've got two conspiracy theories. Two conspiracy theories after this first one.

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Yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

Oh my goodness.

[Seth Payne]

Involving me looking like Trent Dilfer.

[Luke Morrow]

Okay, well then let's get get through this first one first so we could get to the Trent Dilfer stuff. Um, I think this was, I think we brought this up earlier this week or something, but this idea of. What was the one with. What were we talking about earlier with Tom Brady? Oh, he didn't want to. He when it came to the super bowl, that's what it was.

[Seth Payne]

He was. He said he didn't have a dog in the fight. And when the Patriots were playing in the super bowl and people from New England were not happy about that, I felt like he's. He's trying a little too hard to distance himself from the Patriots.

[Luke Morrow]

Right. Yeah. Which seems odd. So here was.

[Seth Payne]

This is Mike McDonald. And he was on. I think he's on with Dan Patrick. And Dan Patrick had asked him, did you get.

[Seth Pendergast]

Did you get. You know, who'd you call?

[Seth Payne]

Did you get any help from anybody in the NFL and talking about beating the Patriots, who did you seek advice

[Mike McDonald]

from going into the super bowl that might surprise me? Well, I wouldn't surprise. I called John Harbaugh and I talked. He was great. Probably can't mention one guy that really. That really helped us out that had some conflict of interest. Can we guess? Sure. I don't know if I'm gonna tell you, but go ahead. Bill Belichick. I'm not that cool. Oh, yeah, no, he wouldn't. You wouldn't have a phone. I have had a beer with Coach Belichick, and that was a pretty cool day. Who else would we guess? Kyle Shanahan?

[Seth Pendergast]

No. So this. This first came to my notice because

[Seth Payne]

a Patriots fan account, Pat's pro

[Seth Pendergast]

quote,

[Seth Payne]

tweeted it and said it was Brady.

[Seth Pendergast]

And it's bleeping disgusting how obvious it is. I cannot believe how far Tom has fallen. I heard a rumor a while back, he refused to talk to drake about the McDaniels offense in the off season of 25. This is just a rumor and I have no credible source for it, but enough is enough. Tom is now the villain. Yeah. I don't know. I feel like if at least one kind of notable Pat's account and a couple other tweets. I saw the replies from Patriots fans to this. To this post. Were a few people kind of supporting him. I feel like that's enough of a

[Seth Payne]

potential conspiracy theory that this is.

[Seth Pendergast]

This is going to really catch flames

[Seth Payne]

and become a thing in New England this year. The Tom Brady just actively hates the Patriots.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah. I love how these fans just get all worked up though this. Like, there's no actual proof that it's Brady. And also there's no proof that he refused to talk to Drake. May he acknowledges in that post it's just a rumor. I have no credible source. And then finishes with Tom is now the villain. Despite these two rumors or beliefs I have. With no proof yet. And that still makes Tom Brady the villain after everything he did for us.

[Seth Pendergast]

I think that it is, it is. It's a little. That whole, you know, Tom Brady saying

[Seth Payne]

he didn't have a dog in the fight there.

[Seth Pendergast]

I, it's strange. And I think part of it is, I think that he is probably, you know, he knows he's an NFL commentator now and he's, he also, like, he's a part owner of the Raiders.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah.

[Seth Pendergast]

So he wants, you know, maintain some kind of semblance of impartiality as a commentator. And even though he also owns a part of the Raiders and even though he also won a Super bowl, multiple Super Bowls with the Patriots, it just, it rang. It didn't, it didn't quite. It seemed odd that in a simple

[Seth Payne]

situation of like, okay, it's, it's the

[Seth Pendergast]

Seahawks, a team he has zero ties

[Seth Payne]

to, versus the Patriots.

[Seth Pendergast]

It's the Super Bowl. The, you're not going to be broadcasting

[Seth Payne]

the game the following week or anything here.

[Seth Pendergast]

Like, you can just go ahead and

[Seth Payne]

say, yeah, I hope the Patriots win.

[Seth Pendergast]

I played with Mike Vrabel. I like Mike Vrabel. I like Bob Kraft, something like that. It was odd.

[Seth Payne]

It feels conspicuous to me.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah.

[Seth Pendergast]

Which I agree with this guy. I haven't even seen the rumors and

[Seth Payne]

yet I believe these rumors about Brady not, not helping Drake may out with the Josh McDaniels system.

[Luke Morrow]

I do too now. Yeah. Now I believe any of these rumors I'm going to buy into of any of these Tom Brady now anti Patriot rumors.

[Seth Pendergast]

Any at all.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Seth Payne]

Mike McDonald, rookie mistake there by him was Dan Patrick asked if he could play a game where he gu who it was going to be and McDonald went along with it for, for at least one, you know, one go at it. You got, you can't ever enter into that game, man. We've all got too many tells.

[Seth Pendergast]

Unless you're a world class poker player,

[Seth Payne]

they're going to be able to figure it out when you, when they say the right name.

[Luke Morrow]

Well, the real problem is that he ruled out Belichick. Right. So you got to leave the door open so that people don't know if it's Brady or Belichick. But once you rule out Belichick, I think then everybody immediately jumps to, oh, then it's got to be Tom Brady. And, and that's where you might sort of unintentionally, you know, tip your hand on the source.

[Seth Pendergast]

You know, at first, my counter evidence

[Seth Payne]

to Tom Brady, you know, trying to actively sabotage the Patriots.

[Seth Pendergast]

My counter evidence was going to be. Well, he's spoken very highly lately and said some really nice things about Bill

[Seth Payne]

Belichick, so it seems like those two are cool.

[Seth Pendergast]

And then I remembered, oh, yeah, Belichick

[Seth Payne]

is petty as hell right now about the Patriots.

[Seth Pendergast]

Claimed that the Patriots won't allow him in their building. Wouldn't let Patriots. Then wouldn't let Patriots scout. Oh, that was how it started. Wouldn't allow Patriot scouts to watch UNC

[Seth Payne]

practices when meanwhile, he's like, trying to sell himself as a conduit to the NFL.

[Seth Pendergast]

And then explained it by saying that I wasn't.

[Seth Payne]

That he's not welcome up there, where meanwhile, he had just been at Vrabel's hall of Fame induction, a Ring of Honor induction up there. So, like Belichick, super petty about the Patriots right now.

[Seth Pendergast]

Tom Brady's cool with Belichick.

[Seth Payne]

Yep.

[Seth Pendergast]

Further evidence for me to agree.

[Seth Payne]

Every single.

[Seth Pendergast]

I agree with and believe every single rumor.

[Seth Payne]

I'm going to hear about this from this point forward.

[Luke Morrow]

When he says conflict of interest, does he simply mean because they are a Patriot or because, like, they're a broadcaster that's not supposed to pick a side or something? Because I was also thinking of, like, could it be Gronk or could it be like, Julian Edelman, who's kind of in the broad, works for Fox Sports? Like, I know that could be.

[Seth Pendergast]

I know that's where it gets him. Just saying it could be a conflict

[Seth Payne]

of interest, for one. I feel like Florio is going to be all over this because he loves a conflict of interest story.

[Seth Pendergast]

But, I mean, that's just kind of

[Seth Payne]

how things are in the NFL that you have all these guys that, you know, it's. It's two degrees of separation with just about anybody that's been in the NFL for any amount of time that you've got so many people that, like, that,

[Seth Pendergast]

you know, that have played the Patriots a bunch of. And I get the sense that the

[Seth Payne]

conflict of interest side would be, maybe this is somebody that helped me out,

[Seth Pendergast]

but his team might not be all that. Or fans of his team might not be that excited to find out that I was helping out, you know, against like, maybe it's a current Bills coach or a current jets coach or something like that.

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Right.

[Seth Payne]

Like, don't want you to help or. Excuse me not to say it would

[Luke Morrow]

be like his own division then. Right?

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

So, yeah, that's why they. He did ask about Shanahan. So that was the thought of Dan Patrick. Yeah. It could be like, yeah, so I don't know.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, it'd be somebody in his own division. You're right. Yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

But hey, I'm all I don't even

[Seth Payne]

understand conflict of interest. Apparently

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[Luke Morrow]

I'm on board though with this whole Brady thing.

[Seth Payne]

Stock is plummeting for the people that want to invest in my future.

[Mike McDonald]

That's right.

[Seth Pendergast]

Oh, the other one. Okay, so the other conspiracy theory.

[Seth Payne]

I think this is the Mandela effect, which I've still not 100% sure I know what the man people think you

[Luke Morrow]

were the quarterback when the Ravens won the Super Bowl.

[Seth Pendergast]

This was. Remember Biggie said he googled me and this is what pops up. A rundown of like my age, my spouse, an overview. But the picture is. Is Trent Dilfer. It's just. It's Trent Dilfer sitting there right above all my information that this is. Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Thanks, Brandy.

[Seth Pendergast]

I don't know. I'm a little bit offended. I don't. And I'M also. And I don't know if Trent Dilfer

[Seth Payne]

would be off it or not, but

[Seth Pendergast]

that's definitely not me, and that's never been me. Nobody has a memory of me as

[Seth Payne]

looking like Trent Dilfer. And this is. No, no.

[Seth Pendergast]

How do I complain about this?

[Luke Morrow]

Where is this?

[Seth Pendergast]

If you just Google yourself, just on Google, I haven't tried it yet.

[Seth Payne]

I'm going to Google myself.

[Seth Pendergast]

If Trent Dilford pops up, I swear

[Seth Payne]

to God, Elsewhere Corporation, I am going to kick your butt.

[Luke Morrow]

Maybe it might come from, like, where you guys are both mentioned in an article or something and they pull. Google pull is pulling, like, the wrong image or.

[Seth Pendergast]

Yeah, they're pulling up an article. So there's an. It's.

[Seth Payne]

Okay. So it's a. It's a Houston Chronicle article. It says, ex Texan Seth Payne grows into media career with a picture of Trent Dilfer above it.

[Seth Pendergast]

And I click on the article and

[Seth Payne]

it's a picture of definitely me. Much younger. But, yeah, I don't know.

[Seth Pendergast]

I don't know how this works, by the way.

[Luke Morrow]

I think that's insulting in itself. If they were trying to compare you to Trent Dilfer as like a former NFL player who made it into the media. Because I never thought trend over was all that great. There's the famous clip of him saying, like, in order to win the game, you got to score more points. Something like that. That always makes the rounds on Twitter, I think. And I'm not just saying this because we're working together, but I do think you have done a much better job than when Trent Dilfer was doing on espn.

[Seth Pendergast]

Oh, thank you.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

So that's not a good. That's. If. I don't know if that's where the connection comes from with that article and everything.

[Seth Payne]

The.

[Seth Pendergast]

The only. The biggest thing with Trent Dilfer, the

[Seth Payne]

biggest mistake he made in media was when. Oh, I can't remember who is about, but basically it was one of the ESPN personalities who. Oh, it was Kirk Herbstreet because he had a private jet to get flown to games. Because he does two. Because he's. Because he's doing game day and then a primetime game that they sent him in a private jet that reportedly Trent Dilfer demanded a private jet himself in his next round of negotiations. And they're like, you're Trent Dilfer. No, you don't get a private jet.

[Seth Pendergast]

But why Kirk, the guy who's like the face of college football for the. But why not me? Am I not the face of something?

[Luke Morrow]

I know? When would he ever need it, I guess. I think he was doing countdown for a little bit Monday Night Football and maybe they were on location from time or most.

[Seth Payne]

We'll give you a single engine Cessna and coupons to a flight school. All right, Trent, you can fly your own Cessna.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, that's right. And he was one of those guys he loves throwing out that he's a Super bowl winner. Even though we know that was all, you know, it was mostly the defense.

[Seth Payne]

Big deal. I've got an ALCS commemorative championship ring myself.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, take that Trent over. Put that photo up on Google.

[Seth Payne]

It only fits my pinky, which makes me look like a Badasso baseball player, I think.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, yeah, I would invest in that baseball player. Coming up, it's time for Take a Mania as done every week here on Friday we'll see if we crown a new champion. Coming up next, Payne and Pendergast.

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