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Tom Brady Retiring After 22 NFL Seasons, 7 Super Bowl Titles; 11 Million Under Blizzard Warning as Nor'easter Slams East Coast with Heavy Snow, Fierce Winds; Joe Rogan Sparks Controversy with Race, Gender, Climate, COVID Remarks; Interview with Gov. Daniel McKee (D- RI) about Tom Brady and Snowstorm Affecting the State. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired January 29, 2022 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:19]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Phil Mattingly in Washington. Jim Acosta is off today.
And we have breaking news on the greatest quarterback of all time. ESPN is reporting that after 22 seasons and seven, count them, seven Super Bowl titles, Tom Brady is retiring at the age of 44.
We want to bring in right now CNN sports analyst Mike Golic.
And Mike, thanks for your time. I think we're all kind of a little bit head spinning here given particularly his performance over of the course of just this past season. That said, everyone knew this day would come. It still sounds surreal to say it. What are your initial thoughts here?
MIKE GOLIC, CNN SPORTS ANALYST (via phone): Well, like you said it had to happen sooner or later. You know, we've all as former players and analysts, we've been making guesses on when it was going to happen, but we knew Tom was defying all the odds. And I think this truly was a family decision. I think what people need to understand is it's not the football, the game that Tom is going to miss or the reason to retire.
It's the now until the next season starts, all the work that you have to put in and the sacrifice and still time away from your family, even in the off-season that players just get tired of doing. And after 22 years, Tom has finally said, you know what? It's time for more family and less football.
MATTINGLY: That's kind of what I wanted to get into with you. Because, look, this wasn't a situation where we've seen other elite quarterbacks in their final couple of seasons that were very reliant on the running game and maybe some five-yard every once in a while. This was led the league in passing touchdowns, let the league in passing, very much in the MVP conversation.
And yet, in his podcast after they lost last week, he made pretty clear that he felt like his wife had been carrying way too much of the load. How much as a player does the family consideration kind of lean into this decision?
GOLIC: Well, without a doubt. I mean, you know, as your kids -- my kids were 3 and 4 and one wasn't born yet when I retired. They were very young. Tom's kids are starting to get older. When they starts to get older, they're active in more sports and things as well that players, you know, want to be part of. They feel their wife and their family had sacrificed for them so they can live this dream that we live, me for nine years, Tom for 22 years, which is unbelievable.
And you know there comes a point when you just say, OK, the balance is tipped now to where I need to be home more and I'm going to put the family, you know, ahead of everything else like the family has put me ahead of everything else to let me play to go the other way.
Every player gets this. Now, some the league retire and say you're done playing where Tom is in a position like some of the other greats, he gets to call his shots. And one way to call your shot after having an unbelievable season that he had.
MATTINGLY: Yes. No, there's no question about it. We have a tweet from Tom Brady's company that we're going to put up here in a second. But before I do, you know, oftentimes there is the debate, we see it in the NBA all the time, particularly as it pertains to LeBron. You see it in other sports leagues, Major League Baseball. I feel like there is no debate in terms of whether or not Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time. Is that a fair assessment of things?
GOLIC: Well, I mean, like anything else, you'll never get 100 percent agreement on that. You know, it depends on how you define it. Somebody say -- may say who do you want in the last two minutes of the game? Who do you want in just one game? There may be other names for people that come up, but I would think the majority would be for Tom Brady. He is without question the most accomplished quarterback.
Forget quarterback, accomplished player of all time, and that's another thing people need to realize. When there is a pro football hall of fame, even in the hall of fame, in all of them, there are different rooms. Tom's bus will be in the most elite room with some of the most elite players of all time, even in the hall of fame.
MATTINGLY: And I want to read the tweet right now from TB 12 Sports, Tom Brady's kind of company that he's in charge of, says, "Seven Super Bowl rings, five Super Bowl MVPs, three league MVP awards, 22 incredible seasons. Thank you for it all, Tom Brady."
And Mike, before I let you go, one thing I wanted to get to, you know, I've been watching "Man in the Arena," the series that Tom Brady is doing with ESPN, and it's fascinating to me because this wasn't a guy that you had a lot of insight into kind of his personal life, his personal method, all of those things. You talk about greatness, what did you see both on the field and what you knew of how he operated off the field that kind of allowed him to be who he was?
GOLIC: Well, it was really -- you know, there's the physical attributes that you have to have. And listen, he was a pocket passer. He wasn't a runner. So when you're a pocket passer and have to stay in the pocket, you have to know everything. You have to know everything that's going on in the field from where your linemen are blocking, where your receivers are going to, what defense they're in a split second after the snap and make your decision.
[15:05:08]
So I would say the most impressive thing to be this great for this long is that knowledge and understanding of the game and able to put it into practical application a second before the snap to recognize the defense, and a second after the snap to recognize a new defense and to get the ball where it has to go.
MATTINGLY: Yes, his mental abilities were second to none.
Mike, I want you to stay with me because I want to bring in Donte Stallworth.
Dante, obviously you played professionally, but you also played with Tom Brady on the Patriots. When you saw him up close and personal, what made him so special?
DONTE STALLWORTH, FORMER NFL WIDE RECEIVER, PLAYED WITH TOM BRADY: Hey, fellas, thanks for having me on. You know, I think with Brady, and we kind of use these cliches all the time with the greats about, you know, how hard they work and, you know, the time and the effort they put in, but when you look at a guy like Brady, like he literally breathed football. Like that was -- he was a football player, and there was nothing -- up until the point when he got married and had children, there was nothing more important to him, obviously family, outside of family, there was nothing more important to him than being the best player that he could be.
And he put himself in position to not only be that player but to also, you know, expand the other players' abilities, and may -- and you know, make other players better players and more calm. He was the field general out there, and you know, whenever he had an opportunity, you know, to be on the field, he -- I heard you guys talking earlier about, like, who would you take in the last two minutes? Like I'm not taking anybody but Tom Brady. I mean, especially after -- you know, even though they lost the Rams game, you know, because of what the Rams did on offense, but he brought them back into that game.
And you know, whenever Brady's got two minutes left or whatever it is and he's got the ball, 99 percent of the time, he's going to put his team in a position to win that game, and he did that, and you know, multiple times on the biggest stage he did it regularly, consistently throughout the season in his career, and it's just a testament to how much that he loved the game for someone, especially in today's era, for someone to stay in the NFL as long as he did and not just be in the NFL and not just, you know, be another player out there, but you know, he's -- his last year he's leading the league in passing.
And so to me, I think that's a testament to how much he cared about the game and what he was willing to sacrifice for the game and obviously, you know, the sacrifice I think for him was -- you know, towards the end of his career was his family, and he felt that, you know, they needed to make a decision on continuing that, and he spoke about his family, and his wife Gisele sacrificed so much, and once he started to talk like that, I knew it was over.
I knew it was over and it's still shocking because it's Brady, but when he started talking about his family, and he said he was satisfied with the way the season ended, I knew it was over because he's never -- he's never used that kind of language, at least not publicly. He's never used that language. And so when he began to speak about, you know, being satisfied during the season and thanking the fans in Tampa, I kind of knew this was the lead up to what he was going to do. He didn't want to -- you know, I didn't hear this from him personally, but just knowing him he didn't want a farewell tour.
That's not who he is. And I think that, you know, going into the season he probably knew that this was -- this was possibly going to be his last season. He just didn't want to, you know, like I said, have a farewell tour to make it a big thing about him. And you know, that's just the kind of player he is.
MATTINGLY: Yes. No, Donte, one thing, you know, we just saw the tweet from the NFL that says GOAT, so clearly the league is weighing in on the sports radio debate. You know, you made a great point. Last week, I think it was 27-6 or 27-3, my son who's a huge Tom Brady fan, which is mind blowing to me because I'm an Ohio State grad and hate everybody tied to Michigan.
STALLWORTH: Right.
MATTINGLY: But was almost in tears, and I said just wait. Just wait. And that's going to how everybody's mindset. Yes, he came back and it's an amazing game. But what was it about him that maybe we don't see publicly you saw in the locker room that led to kind of that ability in those types of moments for people to just say, it's Tom Brady. There's a totally plausible opportunity to come back here.
STALLWORTH: Yes, I think he, I think he just exuded that confidence, and it helped everyone else, you know, that he was around in the locker room all the time. And I just think, you know, I think it's something that was built in him, you know, over time. And I think it started, I shouldn't say started, but I think it was catapulted by him being drafted in the sixth round. I mean, he's held that chip on his shoulder for the longest.
And, you know, I don't know if he's able to be as successful as he was, if he doesn't play with that chip on his shoulder every single game every year, every time he's out on the field practicing, warmups.
[15:10:12]
Like he's not walking around with that chip on his shoulder, but you know that that is there, and you know, I just -- it's just mind blowing to me on what he was able to accomplish for so long and in part because of having that chip on his shoulder of being drafted and all these other quarterbacks getting drafted before him, and it's -- you know, I was to a point where I'm just like -- I mean, I'm just amazed like, dude, after the fourth two (INAUDIBLE), or third or fourth, like we get it. We get it.
Like you can let that chip go now, bro. Like you've done more than almost anybody else. But, you know, there's some people that are just built differently, and he's definitely built differently.
MATTINGLY: Mike, just to swing back to you, as somebody who's both inside the league but also outside the league, you know, I think one of the interesting elements of Brady beyond the fact that we didn't have a ton of really good detail into his personal life, given how famous he was, was just that I think the perception of him was pretty consistent, you know, solid guy, solid citizen, real team player.
Was there anything that you were kind of always aware of that maybe the rest of us weren't just due to your proximity to the league?
GOLIC: Well, I think the big thing is kind of almost like Bill Belichick. Bill Belichick away from football has a good personality, but the New England Patriots as a whole, they run their business a certain way, and it was very successful. The goal in our sport is to win the Super Bowl, and they did it many times with Tom and with Bill, and -- but they did it in a way where they really gave you nothing as far as (INAUDIBLE), as far as personality and things like that, and as a former player like me, I'm fine with that because they won.
But then Tom went to Tampa where it wasn't like that with Bruce Arians, and you got to see Tom open up a little bit. You know, have a little more fun. You saw him a little more out in public and talking a little more, and you got to see kind of Tom's real personality and what kind of guy he is. He's a football guy, but he's got a good personality that in New England maybe you weren't able to show it as much. But they won and that's the bottom line. But you got to see it some with his two years in Tampa.
MATTINGLY: Yes. No question about it. Donte, you know, you mentioned the chip on the shoulder. I similarly was like after a decade, like, man, we got it. Like you're good.
STALLWORTH: Yes.
MATTINGLY: But, you know, you were a first-round draft pick. You know, there's an approach sometimes or at least a perception for first-round draft picks when they come in, they're certainly given more opportunities in camp. They're given maybe a little bit more rope in terms of how they perform, those types of things. Why do you think it stuck with them for so long?
STALLWORTH: You know what, he's just one of those guys. He's just one of those guys that would use, you know, kind of like Michael Jordan, that would use any little thing to continue to keep him motivated, and you know, that to me -- I mean, to me that's something that I wish I could do. You know, you just find the littlest motivating factor to keep you pushing, and for Brady it was always, you know, at the beginning of his career it was always, you know, obviously being drafted, you know, sixth round and being like the third or fourth quarterback on the depth chart.
And, you know, you hear the stories about him telling Mr. Kraft that he -- that he was going to be the best decision he ever made by drafting him, right? Like who says that as a sixth-round pick. You go up to the owner of the team and say that. Like I don't know anyone who's ever said that or whoever would have the courage to say that to the team owner, but, you know, that was who he was, that was who he is.
And so, you know, him just talking about in the past people were asking him, I think, maybe after his 10th or 11th year, and people were asking him about retirement and what he's going to do after football. And he's like I haven't even thought about that because he's like I don't have any hobbies. I'm a football player. I play football. Like he's like I don't read books or anything like that.
He was like I play football, and I mean, he used all of his energy into football. I don't think there was any wasted effort from him, wasted time. Everything was geared towards being the best professional athlete that he could be being the best quarterback and the best leader for his team, and he used all of that energy, and he put that into football, and then obviously when he, you know, when his family got bigger, he started to have kids and got married, and that energy had to be balanced.
And I think obviously Gisele took on a big load of that. And so, you know, like I said before when I started to hear him talking about how much Gisele had sacrificed, you know, for him to play football, I knew that the time was coming. I just didn't know he was going to make the decision this fast. I thought we were going to have another week or two maybe.
MATTINGLY: Yes, no, when the podcast came out with Jim Gray, I was like, oh, wow, this may be real.
STALLWORTH: Yes.
[15:15:02]
MATTINGLY: All right, Donte Stallworth, Mike Golic, stick with me, two of the best in the business. We're going to continue this conversation.
Tom Brady, seven-time Super Bowl winner, three-time NFL MVP, the GOAT according to the NFL, is retiring.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MATTINGLY: We are back with our breaking news on the greatest quarterback of all time. After 22 seasons and seven Super Bowl titles, Tom Brady is retiring at the age of 44.
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee joins me now.
And Governor, look, we originally had you booked to talk about the storm, and we are certainly going to be talking about the storm, but really quickly because while I know most of New England is inside right now, they are also probably very cognizant of what their former quarterback is doing right now.
Can I just ask you at the top before we dig in on the storm, but what did Tom Brady mean to New England, to your state, to the people up there?
[15:20:07]
GOV. DANIEL MCKEE (D), RHODE ISLAND: Well, everything, and we won't be calling this the Rhode Island storm of 2022. We're going to call this the day that Tom Brady retired, right? So that's how this day is going to go down and be remembered here in the local area of Rhode Island, and for good reason. He was a great -- he was a great life example, you know, a tremendous athlete.
You know, his four agreements alone, just, you know, taking nothing personal, doing your best every day, which I've always said. His hard work and he was the epitome of a person, a family man. And he just has a great reputation, and I think I heard earlier on the interview that you were having that one of the dads mentioned how their son was, you know, growed up with the -- you know, from the time of the Tuck Rule on the Oakland game way back when.
Our family did the same thing. On the playoffs we would clear out our living room and bring all the family room furniture into one room, and we'd have 20 people watching those games and so he brought a lot of enjoyment to the families in Rhode Island, especially the sports families that are interested in the, you know, the Boston teams and the New England teams like the New England Patriots.
MATTINGLY: And one thing I was always struck by, when he went to Tampa, it felt like Pats fans still were rooting for him. To some degree they were rooting for the Bucs last year in the Super Bowl, which seems strange that a player that everybody loves leaves your team and he means so much that you still want him to succeed so long as he's not playing the Pats.
MCKEE: Yes, in some cases even when they were playing the Pats. But, yes, clearly, you know, Tom Brady, you know, he did so much for this area, and he was such a family person, especially the way he was with his mom and dad and always, you know, reflected that in his interviews and of course with his kids as well. So we did -- my son and I went out to Indianapolis to the Super Bowl one year. That was the year that the Giants took us the second time, but with the Patriots and Tom, you know, he was able to get six NFL championships, you know, in terms of the Super Bowl, so he brought winning attitude to our communities, so I think that extended when he did move to Tampa.
I have a number of friends who went down and bought season tickets down there feeling as though they would catch a couple more years of Tom at his best, and he did that, right? Two years in Tampa he did that, so congratulations to him and his family on his decision and we wish him the very best.
MATTINGLY: So what are you seeing for your residents right now that are at home watching for updates on the storm but getting a lot more Tom Brady, which I'm sure they're interested in? What are you seeing on the ground right now in terms of what this storm has brought to the state?
MCKEE: Yes, well, I'm glad you're covering the Tom Brady story because we're encouraging people to stay in their homes. So turn on your TVs, watch the coverage here, you reflect back. And -- but we are asking people to stay in their homes. I did put an emergency order in last night, and our congressional leadership has already worked with the president and the president's office about a potential disaster, you know, for us that we're living through.
We're in a blizzard right now, and we put in a travel ban to keep people off the roads, at least until 8:00 tonight. But we'll be making assessments between now and then whether we extend that and worked with Governor Baker and Governor Lamont in Connecticut about a travel ban for all our tractor-trailers through midnight tonight, so it's been a serious storm for Rhode Island. This will be -- will reach -- it's already reached the top 10 in terms of snow accumulation, and it probably is going on one day it most likely will be first or second on a one-day snow accumulation in a 24-hour period in the history of the state of Rhode Island. So this was a -- this was a real event.
MATTINGLY: Yes, you're seeing -- and we're showing on our screen right now, Governor, a mailman in Pawtucket delivering through the snow, which I think says everything you need to know about both Rhode Island residents and New England residents, and not driving because obviously we were told to stay off the roads. I think one of the concerns here particularly in a neck of the woods that knows how to deal with this kind of weather as extreme as this storm may be is electricity.
Are you seeing anything right now that concerns you on that front? Are you confident that you have answers if power ends up being problematic?
MCKEE: Yes, that's the wild card that we're all concerned about. The weather is going to be very cold, frigid windchills that will be in the teens or single-digits over the next 24 hours, 36 hours. We've been fortunate in Rhode Island right now that our outages have been -- only peaked at about 250, and I think we're under 50 right now, and we want to keep it that way. Historically we've had hundreds of thousands of more that have been out of electricity.
That would be the next crisis that we'd have to deal with. So we're fortunate the National Grid has brought people in, and we help them bring people in from as far away as Canada.
[15:25:02]
But we're about 50 miles south of Boston for those who don't know Rhode Island. You know, Rhode island's a great place, and, and so, yes, so we're fortunate there. And thanks for asking that question because that's -- that is a wild card in all of these winter storms, the potential of losing heat and then what does that mean to the -- you know, the overall health of the -- you know, the residents of Rhode Island. If they lose heat, then we've got frozen pipes and the story
continues. And you're right, we're very familiar with this, you know, dating back to at least the blizzard of '78 which kind of paralyzed our state for a week or more. We're fortunate right now to have this event that is, you know, accumulating at record numbers that our municipalities -- I'm a former mayor working with them and our state -- is really doing an excellent job taking the snow off the road, keeping people in their homes.
And that issue that you just brought up is always a big concern. Right now it is really under control, and we want to keep it that way.
MATTINGLY: Yes, no question about that. Please keep us posted with whatever you need.
Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee, wearing two hats, sports analyst and governor of Rhode Island today. Thanks so much for your time, sir.
MCKEE: OK. Thank you very much.
MATTINGLY: And we'll be right back with more of the breaking news, Tom Brady is retiring, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:30:48]
MATTINGLY: We are back now with the breaking news. Tom Brady is retiring at the age of 44 after an unbelievable, almost unparalleled career.
It included seven Super Bowl titles, five Super Bowl MVP, three overall MVPs. And, by the way, as a 44-year-old, he led the NFL in passing and passing touchdowns just this past season.
I want to bring back former NFL wide receiver, Donte' Stallworth, who was on offense when he in the NFL, and CNN's Coy Wire, who was on defense when he was in the NFL.
I assume, guys, you don't agree on much at all other than the superiority of the side of the ball you were on.
Coy, I want to start with you.
You played defense in the NFL. You watched Tom Brady up close and personal, particularly when you were with the Bills, who I feel like he terrorized for roughly two decades.
What made him so difficult to prepare for and play against?
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR (via telephone): Phil, good to talk with you and Donte' as well.
I think the Buffalo Bills are finally having the chance of beating the Patriots now with Tom Brady not there anymore, although Mac Jones is pretty good and Bill Belichick is still there. When I played for the Buffalo Bills for six seasons, we played against
those Patriots twice a year, every year, once home and once away. And it was the nearly impossible task. At least it seemed that way.
The one time we beat them it felt like winning the Super Bowl.
It was so difficult to go up against a team where, you know, from a defensive standpoint, it's frustrating because Tom Brady knew our defense better than most of the guys on our team knew our own defense.
He knew defenses in general. He knows how teams are trying to attack. He knows how teams are trying to defend. And he's one step ahead of the game.
And that comes from preparation, preparation, preparation.
And so this is his T.B. 12 method, his book, we heard about this. We've talked about this. It encompasses everything from his mind-set and mentality down to his diet and sleeping habits.
Being successful was his life. It consumed him. It drove him.
He wasn't the most physically gifted and physically talented. That's why I can relate to someone like that because he, you know, admitted I was never the biggest, fastest, strongest.
People were taken ahead of me, picked ahead of me in the draft and so on and so forth. But I was going to outwork everyone every single day.
And that's what he did every single day. And it gave him a chance for success.
And in doing so, he achieved much success, but also it elevated the play of everyone around him. That's why his teams, he can go to Tampa Bay and instantly they're a Super Bowl contender because he brings out the best in everyone.
Because if Tom Brady is doing all those extra little things, if he's paying attention to detail like that, I need to do that as well.
That's the goat. And if we're going to be successful I'm going to do whatever he's doing because it's working.
MATTINGLY: I feel like everybody can watch his NFL combine video from how many years ago and realize he definitely wasn't the most physically talented or frankly most in shape, which I think changed over the years.
Coy, one of the things I don't think people grasp the almost absurdity of a 44-year-old quarterback doing what he did, not just this past year but over the last four, five years.
As somebody who played, can you talk about the physical toll of 20- plus years in the NFL and overcoming that the way he did?
WIRE: Yes, I played nine years. Phil, I have a titanium plate. I have four screws. I have countless other surgeries.
The game is like running into a brick wall over and over. It's like getting in a car crash.
Donte' can attest to this. Especially playing the receiver position in the era he played where they weren't protecting the players that much with rules. Donte' was out there getting blasted.
And Tom Brady took a lot of hits over the years. And we heard him talk about that recently in the podcast where he spoke about it pains his wife, Gisele, to see him out there.
He knows his kids are seeing him out there taking these big hits. And he's seeing his kids grow up and he wants to be able to throw the football with them someday and run routes with them someday.
[15:35:02]
I'm sure Donte' will echo the sentiment. You know, you're not rolling out of bed as the typical person our age would because of the toll the game takes on you.
The mental stamina and perseverance he shows, is arguably unmatched but also the physical stamina and perseverance and toughness that many people don't often talk about with Tom Brady. It's there.
And that's what's helped him be a winner.
MATTINGLY: Yes, Donte', that's actually what I wanted to ask you about. Other than when he tore his ACL, you didn't see him take a lot of huge shots.
In part, that was one of his talents. He could move his feet in ways that perhaps other quarterbacks couldn't, which maybe prolonged his career.
But the overall approach in terms of keeping oneself healthy, keeping oneself prepared mentally and physically.
What did you see, Donte' when you were playing with him in terms of what led to that?
STALLWORTH (via telephone): Yes, I remember my first year back in New England -- this is in 2007 -- and this was really before guys were really taking their diets like ultra-serious.
And Brady wouldn't eat any of the food we had there. I mean, it was pretty good food. He wouldn't eat that food. He had his own plates. He had his own drinks.
And everything that he was doing was geared to, you know, making sure that he was able to perform at his highest optimal level.
And I just think that, you know -- and Coy spoke about it earlier -- where everything that he has done in his entire career has been geared towards him to be the best player that he could be. And a lot of it had to come from the fact that, you know, as he said 100 times, 100,000 times probably that he wasn't the most talented player, but he was going to outwork everyone.
And that's what I saw from him. Attention to detail. He was always one of those guys that, you know, you say, first one in, last one out.
He may have not always been the last one out, but he was definitely the first one in there.
Whenever I would pop in and you'd see a couple of guys, you know, jeans hanging on their chairs in the locker room.
He was always one of the first ones in there watching films, studying, going over the game play, that weekly game plan with the coaches, and he would hold his own meetings.
And I played for a few teams, and I realized how rare -- I shouldn't say rare. I haven't seen it or come across it at all. I haven't even heard of any other players to this day doing this.
But Brady would hold his own meetings with all his pass catchers. It would be the wide receivers, tight ends and running backs.
It was about a 15-minute meeting, which doesn't seem like a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. But this was his way to get everyone on the same page.
You know, the day before the game, 15 minutes before a team meeting, he would make sure that everyone was on the same page. He would go over the entire game plan for that next day. And we would all be on the same page.
This was a testament, you know, to him being a leader, to him kind of taking charge and making sure that there -- if there was a one in 100 chance of something going wrong, we were going to nip that in the bud in the meeting rooms.
So by the time we got to the field, everything was second nature.
Just to see a consummate professional like him, just to be around him, it rubs off on everyone.
And that's one of the reasons obviously -- you know, Coy spoke about it as well. Obviously, they have Bill Belichick there, and he's obviously a big part of why they've been successful.
But I think it's also shared with Tom Brady. And, you know, coaches relate or players relate more to prayers than pray players than we do to coaches.
When you have a guy like Brady sitting there as a future Hall of Famer in his seventh or eighth year, already a future Hall of Famer who's still taking notes every single day in meetings, that rubs off on guys.
And it just exudes this level of greatness that everyone wants to reach. And he's pulling everyone up with him.
And you saw, you know, with him going to Tampa Bay and free agency and winning the Super Bowl in his first year.
I mean, that to me is a testament to his career along with, you know, how many other hundreds of thousands of accolades that he's accrued over his 22-year career.
MATTINGLY: No question about it.
Coy, last one before we let you guys go, although, I'm sure we'll bring you guys back multiple times in the next couple of hours.
The idea of -- you know, Donte', Mike Golic and I were talking about this last block in terms of even last week when they were down by three touchdowns, you saw it as totally plausible that he could come back.
What does that mean as a player on a team when you can be down by a significant amount and still believe, right?
That belief can be maintained even in the NFL, even late in the third or early in the fourth quarter when every other team maybe would have said, all right, we're going to have to pack this one in and think about next week.
[15:40:07]
WIRE: It's a mind-set and mentality that it just doesn't come out of anywhere. This is something that we have seen as fans of the game him do time and time again.
As a former Falcon player, it still hurts me to say, he led the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history against my Atlanta Falcons and won when they were down 28-3 after a quarter.
We've seen him do it time and time again. It's what happens on a day- to-day basis that you are never content, if you're doing well or not doing well, there's always work to be done.
Contentment is a career killer. That can be said for any walk of life. In the game of football, Tom Brady was never content. The dishes were never done. He was going to outwork everyone, every single day. It set him up for success.
That's one of the biggest takeaways I think that the sports world and beyond can take from him no matter, you know, where you're from, no matter your socioeconomic backgrounds, your ethnicity, your religion, whatever walk you walk.
If you set your standards so high, anything is possible in this world. And that's the mind-set he took with him and it elevated everyone around him, even his opponents.
MATTINGLY: Coy, to be honest, as a good colleague, I was deliberately avoiding any Falcons references. But you know, if you want to go ahead and bring that --
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
WIRE: Oh, my god. Yes. No, this is a tough day. This is a tough day, especially for my producer, a big Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan.
We're at the airport now. I apologize for any loudspeakers behind me.
We're on our way to Beijing to cover some stories of some other athletes who are just trying to be the best they can be. And we look forward to talk to you from Beijing.
MATTINGLY: I look forward to that as well, my friend. Stay safe on the travels.
Coy Wire, Donte' Stallworth, really appreciate your time and perspective. We'll certainly be talking about this more coming up.
Also coming up, a winter storm with the power of a hurricane bears down on 40 million people. Could it be one of the biggest storms in Boston's history? We have the latest coming up next.
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[15:46:52]
MATTINGLY: Welcome back.
I want to get down to our other breaking news. More than 11 million people across 10 states are under blizzard warnings at this hour, as a powerful nor'easter hammers the east coast.
It's the Boston area that's expected to be ground zero for the storm with more than two feet of snow currently expected.
It's known as a bomb cyclone, and it's creating dangerous whiteout conditions, fierce winds, and coastal flooding as New England braces for what could be record snowfall.
And more than a foot of snow has also fallen in parts of New Jersey with the governor saying the shore is getting clobbered.
Several governors have declared states of emergency urging people to stay inside.
Everyone in Rhode Island is now under a travel ban until 8:00 tonight.
Air travel not an option either, for many, as at least 3,500 flights have been canceled today, another 1,000 are already canceled for tomorrow.
Now, we have CNN team coverage across the coast. But I want to start with CNN's Polo Sandoval in Boston and Brian Todd in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Polo, first off, I've been watching all day. What have you seen now as the hours have moved on?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know it's bad, Phil, when you start to see that snow going up building facades. That's because that wind continues to whip that snow that's been falling since early this morning.
It's going to continue to fall, particularly here in Boston as you look -- this is basically the historic north end, and you can barely make out the street where some cars are trying to make their way through downtown Boston.
Authorities here since last night have been warning folks to simply just stay home. It's a Saturday. If you don't need to go out, stay home.
And largely, we have been seeing that. Just a few people who need to go out or want to go out just to check things out.
Really the big issue back to the winds. Boston Logan recording about 47 miles an hour wind gust a couple of hours ago.
That really does speak to what we've been experiencing with this bomb cyclone.
One days, those snowflakes are gently falling, then that wind kicks up and then it's almost like just a thousand needles hitting you in the face.
So I think as we continue to make our way through the rest of the afternoon, you're going to continue to see obviously those plow trucks continuing to work.
You have about 900 pieces of equipment that are right now trying to keep those roads clear. Thousands of pieces of equipment also at the state level as well.
So again, that's where we stand right now. Events supposed to be continuing up until about 5:00 or 6:00 this evening.
Tomorrow, that's when that snow finally lets up. And then, of course, the cleanup is supposed to continue -- Phil?
MATTINGLY: Yes.
And, Polo, I think one of the things that part of the country, obviously, is very experienced in dealing with inclement weather, particularly in the winter, in the sense of what might come next. They're very prepared for the onset.
Does it seem like they're prepared for what they're going to have to do afterwards to ensure people can kind of return to normal life?
SANDOVAL: It's a really good point, Phil. If there's any city in the country that can do a snowstorm, it's Boston. They've been here before.
Obviously, the amount of snow that forecasters were calling for is not quite common, when you're seeing anywhere from two to three inches of snowfall an hour for about a six-hour period.
[15:50:02]
That's when there's a potential to see up to two feet of snow. Now, the forecast has scaled down a little bit.
But nonetheless, to answer your questions, authorities have been deploying, like we said, about 900 pieces of equipment.
And the state of Massachusetts announced they're also increasing their presence on the road and highways.
And also implementing travel restrictions to try to keep some of those higher-profile vehicles off the highway until it's safe to drive again.
By the way, that ban is expected to continue up until midnight tonight.
MATTINGLY: Polo Sandoval, stay inside. Watch old Tom Brady games. This is the day for it.
SANDOVAL: Yes.
MATTINGLY: I want to switch over to Brian Todd.
Brian, the snow was really coming down when I was watching earlier today. What's your sense of things now?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Phil, the city's finally starting to get out from under this thing.
This was, by my count, an 18-hour snow event starting about 8:00 last night. Tapered off just a couple of hours ago.
But this is what they're contending with now. Standing in the middle of a snow drift that's pretty big, partially caused by plowing.
But also just the massive amounts of snow that came down and were blowing around with hurricane-strength-type winds that created drifts like this one.
As I navigate out of this, I'm going to show you -- (INAUDIBLE) -- this hour.
We're going to pan to the right, show you some black top. This is the first black top we've seen in about a day and a half here. It's really good news as people start to emerge out on the streets.
I just talked to a city official saying they're going to start salting the streets right now. They were kind of brining in the streets earlier. It was a combination of salt and other mixtures. But right now, they're starting to put pure salt on the street because they are not quite out of the woods as far as treacherous conditions. They want to start to salt the streets to carry that over into the evening hours so that it doesn't freeze over.
We're going to pan over here, as I kind of work my way through the snow drift. We're going to go down Pacific Avenue a little further.
If we can get close enough, there's a snow blower that's just kind of, pushing snow out to the street there. That's what people are doing now. The big dig. Digging out.
I just talked to a gentleman coming by a couple of minutes ago. Had a shovel, a smile on his face. He said there's a lot of money to be made here. He said he was digging out cars.
I asked him what he was charging, $25 a car. He was busy. So people were taking him up on that.
MATTINGLY: A good business model, no question.
Brian Todd, Polo Sandoval, stay safe and warm. Thanks so much, guys.
Singer/Songwriter Joni Mitchell is joining Neil Young in pulling all of her music from Spotify.
In a post on her Web site, Mitchell echoed Young's concerns about COVID misinformation on the streaming service.
Saying, quote, "Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on the issue."
Young had raised concerns about the COVID misinformation being spread by popular podcaster, Joe Rogan. He gave Spotify an ultimatum, him or me. In the end, they went with him.
But now, more controversies are piling up.
Here's CNN's Paula Newton.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Not for the first time, the "Joe Rogan Experience" featured contentious Canadian psychologist and author, Jordan Peterson.
This time, for over four hours in a free-ranging, reductive back and forth about topics Peterson has no expertise in -- climate, race, the transgendered community.
JOE ROGAN, HOST, "THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE": So you think that a lot of what goes on with people that want to change their gender identity is creativity?
JORDAN PETERSON, PSYCHOLOGIST & AUTHOR: No, I don't think so. I know so.
NEWTON: This misinformation on climate.
PETERSON: There is no such thing as climate. Climate and everything are the same word.
NEWTON: And this one on race.
PETERSON: I am white. Actually, that is a lie, too. I'm kind of tan.
(CROSSTALK)
PETERSON: And he was actually not black, but sort of brown.
ROGAN: If you're tan, what the -- am I?
NEWTON: The "he" is scholar, Michael Eric Dyson, who told CNN's Don Lemon Rogan and Peterson misinterpret the very definition of race.
MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, AUTHOR & PROFESSOR: They are playing to the ignorance of the audience, but they are also exposing a kind of lethal ignorance about the very nature of race itself.
NEWTON: Peterson did not respond to CNN's request for comment.
In a statement to CNN about the content of the podcast, Spotify, which has exclusive rights to Joe Rogan's podcast, said, "We won't be commenting on this."
But many on social media sure did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God. I'm not black.
NEWTON: "Delete Spotify" began trending. Some accused Rogan of platforming hate.
Monday, musician, Neil Young, fed up with Rogan's vaccine misinformation, told Spotify to choose between him and Rogan.
(SINGING)
NEWTON: They removed Young's music.
"Lies being sold for money," Young declared in a statement.
[15:55:04]
At issue is certainly money. Rogan's podcast is one of the most popular in the U.S. and beyond.
Although Spotify has at times removed content that is deemed inaccurate or offensive.
Legal scholars say any move to censor controversial speech is in the hands of private companies. KEITH WHITTINGTON, PROFESSOR OF POLITICS, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: And
those private companies have a lot more flexibility on their own to make decisions either to regulate speech and try to shrink the space of this kind of discussion.
Or to provide very robust protections for speech that don't provide very many restrictions on what people can actually say on their platforms.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: That was Paula Newton reporting.
And coming up, our breaking news. The greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, is retiring after 22 NFL seasons and seven Super Bowl titles. More on that coming up next.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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