At first look, Tom Brady and Kim Davis don’t appear to have
much in common. I would suggest, though, they’re actually quite similar.
Brady is a millionaire superstar NFL quarterback in New
England who was recently exonerated by a federal judge for his alleged role in
a football-related scandal. Davis pulls in a government wage as the clerk in
Rowan County, Kentucky (population 23,527) who was recently jailed by a federal
judge for refusing to allow same-sex couples to receive marriage licenses.
Obviously, differences abound.
Brady has all-American good looks, sports four Super Bowl
rings and is married to a Brazilian super model. Davis is a dour, bespectacled born-again Christian who
speaks about as plainly as she looks and is married to a man named Joe.
Two factors unite Brady and Davis, however: First, they are
both equally divisive figures – drawing strong choruses of boos and cheers from
legions of detractors and supporters. Second, they both have staunchly stood up
for what they believe is right and are currently living in the aftermath of
their respective actions.
“Tom Terrific”?
Before the “Deflategate” scandal broke earlier this year,
there were no lack of Tom Brady haters. Why? The best I can tell, “Tom
Terrific,” as fans call him, just got to be too successful. He kept winning,
kept being handsome, kept being rich, kept being married to super hot model
Gisele Bundchen and kept showing up on TV shows like Entourage and The Simpsons.
But in May 2015, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Brady
for four games, claiming he and his Super Bowl champion New England Patriots had
under-inflated footballs during the January 18, 2015 playoff game with the
Indianapolis Colts.
Brady-haters rejoiced. See, they said, he’s a cheater –
filling footballs with less air than allowed by meticulous NFL rules so they’re easier for him
to grip. What a turd. People hate
cheaters – especially rich, good-looking, athletic ones who seem to “have it
all.”
Brady has his loyal supporters a well, though. His fans
simply point to his record and continued prowess on the football field. Brady
was drafted in the 6th round in 2000 (specifically the 199th
pick) and he’s gone on to win four Super Bowl rings, set numerous passing
records, secured his spot in the NFL Hall of Fame and become one of the sport’s
top players of all time.
They balk at the Deflategate scandal, calling it a bunch of
hooey – a cheap pot shot at the winning Patriots, their legendary coach Bill
Belichik and their superstar quarterback.
Kim Davis – “Superstar” or Criminal?
The 49-year-old Davis has risen to superstar status of her
own among religious conservatives everywhere. They see her as a hero because she’s standing up for her belief
that God does not condone marriage between same-sex couples.
People have been waving signs outside the Kentucky courtroom
telling her to stay strong and that they stand with her. Financial donations
have been pouring in, and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is capitalizing
on all the publicity and is planning to visit her in jail for a photo op.
Davis was jailed this week by U.S. District Judge David
Bunning (son of Jim Bunning, a former Major League Baseball pitching great and Kentucky
U.S. Senator) when she refused to promise she would not interfere with the
issuing of marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
She had told Bunning in court before she was taken away, "God's
moral law conflicts with my job duties. You can't be separated from something
that's in your heart and in your soul."
While Davis has arisen to now become the hero of many for
her God-fearing values, she is simultaneously being vilified by others who see
her homophobic, anti-equality, anti-gay and a flat-out scofflaw.
To the gay community worldwide, Davis is now the glaring
example of intolerance and a reminder that a change in the law does not
legislate people’s views – much like civil rights laws in the 1960s sought to eliminate
racial discrimination, but did nothing to eliminate the deep-seated racial
prejudice in people’s minds.
Making a Stand
Davis, a Democrat, says she’s following God’s law. She’s
refusing to enforce the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2015 ruling that made same-sex
law legal. Her husband, Joe, says
she’ll never resign from her clerk job and never yield in her belief that what she’s
doing is right.
She is standing up for what she believes in – whether people
see that as right or wrong – and she’s going to jail for it. Is she a fool? A
bigot? A criminal? A martyr-like religious savior?
Personally – I happen to disagree with her entirely. I think
people should be able to marry who they want to marry and the government should
recognize the marriage. I also believe that a country that doesn’t separate
church and state is in big trouble.
For Davis, if you have a job in government, do the job and
enforce the rules of that government. If you don’t want to have to worry about your religious beliefs conflicting with the law, then get a job at Applebee’s
waiting tables – something that frankly is a lot more challenging that being a
paper-pushing county clerk.
Brady’s battle against the NFL has been equally zealous.
He’s staunchly maintained his innocence throughout, fighting the league at every turn. He
and Patriots owner Robert Kraft played hardball and ultimately prevailed this
week when Judge Richard M. Berman vacated Goodell's four-game suspension of
Brady, stating that "...the requisites of fairness and due process"
were missing from the process leading to the settlement.
So is Brady innocent? The judge didn’t comment about that,
but made it clear that the process the NFL used was not sufficient or fair to
suit Brady’s suspension.
Do I think he had a deliberate hand in deflating the
footballs? Of course he did. Do you think a guy as detail-oriented, competitive
and intense as Tom Brady would not pay attention to how the footballs he’s
throwing in a win-or-go-home playoff game are inflated? Um, yes he would.
Where Does This Leave Us?
Well, Davis is safe in her jail cell at the moment, firm in
her view that she’s doing God’s work by not giving marriage licenses to gay
couples.
Brady is likely in his mansion, receiving a shoulder massage
from his super model wife as he meticulously reviews Pittsburgh Steeler video to prepare for his September 10 season
opener.
What will happen next? Could a Hail Mary legal maneuver save Kim Davis? Will bass
guitar-playing Mike Huckabee play “Jailhouse Rock” when he calls on her in the
slammer?
And for Brady – could the Old Testament-like wrath of
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and his recent legal appeal spoil Brady’s vindicating fairy-tale like season debut?
Somehow, I think that only God knows these answers.
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