Jason Taylor "was Floored" by Brady's Letter That Got Him into the Hall of Fame

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Talk of FameIt’s hard to figure out which surprised Hall-of-Famer Jason Taylor more — his election as a first-ballot choice or a letter recommending that election from New England quarterback Tom Brady. …

“I’m still in a little bit of shock, a little bit of surprise, a little bit of awe,” he said. …

What we don’t is why Brady – who won three Super Bowls with Law and is good friend of the Patriots’ cornerback – wrote a letter of recommendation to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and its voters … for Jason Taylor and not Law. …

“I was floored when I saw the letter. I really was. Seth Levit, the director of my foundation (the Jason Taylor Foundation) and office here in Florida, actually texted me that Tom had sent a letter in. I guess Seth had been talking to the people in New England and got the letter down here, and I was floored. It means the world to me.”

I love it. I love it more than life itself. Every time we get a look behind the curtain at what Tom Brady is really like, he comes across as an even better human being than even I thought he was. That guy America hates, that they can’t stand to see win another game, that they boo at the Super Bowl 50 pregame ceremony in his hometown like he’s Martin Shkreli, is literally a nicer person than anyone any of us have ever met.

As a quick aside, I’m as baffled as Ty Law why he wrote a letter for Jason Taylor and not for him. But all I can figure is that it doesn’t move the needle for any of the voters if an old teammate recommends you. In the same way that on a job application they always ask for references that aren’t related to you. Because what good is mom’s opinion when future employer wants to know if you’re a shithead who’ll steal from him?

But anyway, back to the one he did write. That letter is not only an amazingly kind gesture given how valuable Brady’s time is. A guy who’s got the weight of an entire franchise on his shoulders, businesses to run, young kids and a sick mom. And it’s completely justified. Jason Taylor earned his Hall of Fame credentials, mostly against the Patriots. He is top of the list of the guys they could never figure out. The monster under Matt Light’s bed. And unstoppable, meteorological disaster that you respected, even as he was in the process of pulling your quarterback’s vertebrae apart like they were Legos. And a class act all the way. Just like the guy whose recommendation letter got him elected.