One of the lingering moments from Super Bowl 52 is Tom Brady’s decision to leave the field after the loss without shaking Nick Foles’ hand.

Eagles fans made a big deal about it at the time, and still do, accusing Brady of being a sore loser and a poor sport and all of that.

Rob Maaddi, who used to be based out of Philadelphia, is now down in Florida and works as more of a national NFL guy for The Associated Press. He asked Brady about the handshake snub heard around the world:

Maaddi: “Are you aware of that?” 

Brady: “No, I’m not. I’m not. I’ve shaken Nick’s hand plenty of times though, so. I have a lot of respect for Nick, and I try to be a good sport as best I can. I know it doesn’t always look like that. Sometimes I get a little pissed out there, but for the most part I try to be a good sport.”

There were a couple of Brady/Foles meetings after the Super Bowl. The first was a preseason game up in New England in 2018, about six months later. The pair met on the field afterward:

Photo credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

And then last season, his first with the Bucs, he played against Nick’s Chicago Bears and again went into the tunnel early:

I don’t see anything wrong with Brady’s answer above. You’re in the heat of the moment, you’re annoyed by a loss, and you head off down the tunnel after the game. It happens, though ideally every pro athlete should make an effort to go out and show some sportsmanship after the game.

Maybe we’d think differently about the Foles/Brady thing if they didn’t have that moment following the preseason game. I think we can put this thing safely to bed.