Why Indy 500’s crowd mercilessly booed Tom Brady and what is the beef about

Tom Brady received a cold welcome at the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday (May 25) when the audience collectively decided to boo the former NFL player. The shocking reaction came as a result of decades of sports rivalry coupled with unforgiveness from a dedicated fan base.

Though the uniform chorus of disapproval rang loud and clear from the crowd in the stands, Brady seemed to take it in stride during the pre-race ceremony for the Indy 500, an annual automobile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The reaction likely came as a result of the noted rivalry between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts back from the days when Brady was a quarterback for the former and pitted against Peyton Manning, then quarterback of the Colts. This decades-long rivalry between two of the greatest quarterbacks in history was a multi-storied tale that includes fiascos like ‘Deflategate’ where the Patriots were accused of using deflated footballs in a playoff match against the Colts. Though Brady denied any wrongdoing on his part, an investigation into the incident suspended him from a few games. The Patriots were fined and docked draft picks.

Brady’s all-too-compulsive 16-4 win record against the Colts in playoffs and season was a bitter pill to swallow for the Indianapolis crowd when they saw their rival on home ground.

People also took to social media to react to the video of Brady being ‘booed’ with many expressing support for the former football sensation and others backing the audience instead.

Brady was at the event to ride alongside race car driver Jimmie Johnson. Having retired from the NFL in 2023, the 47-year-old currently works as a sports commentator at Fox.

By Stuti Gupta