Scamfluencers - Superstar Sports Scammer | Part I

Episode Date: October 10, 2022

When superstar NFL quarterback Tom Brady gets badly injured on the field, he turns to his secret weapon, an unlicensed “body coach” named Alex Guerrero. Together, the duo become unstoppable, creating their own company together and even peddling their own products and philosophies. But their questionable partnership will prove more than controversial… maybe even dangerous. Please support us by supporting our sponsors!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey, prime members, you can listen to scamful answers, add free on Amazon music. Download the app today. Today, I'm joined by a special guest host, Emil Niazi, who is a writer and you may have read her work in places like The New York Times, The Guardian, Buzzfeed, and also her monthly column at the cut. She's filling in for Satchee for the next two episodes. I mean, all what something you're convinced is really good for your health, even though there's not really any evidence for it.

Water. No, but hear me out. You know how people are always like, I drink eight glasses of water a day, and that's why my skin looks so good. And even though I know that that's not true, and it's like retinol in Botox, every time I drink a glass of water,

I'm like, mm, look at me. Water does not make you look like one-th-palcho or give you glowing skin. It just keeps you from dying, but I have convinced myself that it's like self-care wellness treat. Well, I'm about to tell you a story about a guy who developed some really bizarre and scientifically unproven theories about diet and exercise, and convinced lots of people, including at least one of his super famous clients, to completely append their lives.

Hi, I'm Lindsay Graham, the host of Wondries Podcast American Scandal. Our newest series looks at the story of OxyContin, a popular painkiller that helps spur an epidemic of addiction and drug abuse, in which prompted a broad campaign to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable. Listen to American Scandal on Amazon Music

or wherever you get your podcasts. Wondery's new podcast, Disantel, wades into the glorious mess of celebrity beef. Each episode explores a different iconic celebrity feud, and asks, what does our obsession with these feuds say about us? Follow Disantel wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen ad-free on the Amazon Music or Wondery app. You can listen to Ad Free on the Amazon Music or Wondery app. It's September 7th, 2008, and tens of thousands of fans are flooding into Gillette Stadium. They're here for the first game of the new football season, and they're wearing red,

white, and blue for their home team, the new England Patriots. Their star quarterback, Tom Brady, stands on the Patriots sideline. Amel, what do you know about Tom Brady? Off the top of my head, football, obviously, accused of cheating, I think. I know deflated footballs were involved. And of course, the most important thing about Tom Brady is that he's married to supermodeled Giselle Bunchin and they are like a scary Uber Alpha couple. A meal that is all very correct information.

He is very alpha, he is six foot four and you've seen his face, movie star smile, cleft chin, and Tom won the NFL's MVP award at 30 years old, the age when most football players have already retired. But not Tom Brady because he's in his prime. The game kicks off and just a few minutes into the first quarter, the unthinkable happens. A gigantic line in barrels into him. Tom rides on the ground. The city came up with a ball, but that's not the story.

Tom Brady took a tremendous hint as he released that ball right on his left leg. Millions of fans watch in shock as he limps off the field. He tore his ACL and his MCL, which basically means his knee exploded, just like that. Tom's season is over. And if he can't heal right, his career might be over too. Tom says that one doctor even tells him he'll never be able to run around and play with his kids again.

If a doctor told my husband that, I would be like, we're getting a divorce. So you mean I'm gonna do all the running around and playing with my kids? It's over. And imagine that was his job. So you mean I'm gonna do all the running around and play with my kids? It's over. And imagine that was his job. Well, Tom is obviously distraught. He gets knee surgery, but he's facing an uncertain recovery. And that's when he turns to a secret weapon, a so-called body coach named Alex Guerrero.

Tom had Alex through a teammate about two years earlier. He'd been suffering from a hernia that sounded super painful. So he trained with Alex in California, and he later told the New York Times that with a matter of days, the pain was gone. That's wild. That's really what. If someone could do that for me, and I'm just like a regular person who sits,

I too would believe anything they said. Yeah, but Alex isn't a doctor. His background is actually in massage and Chinese medicine. He's obsessed with really vigorous massages, eating an alkaline diet, and a training regimen all about what he calls lengthening and re-educating muscles. It's really intense, but it worked wonders for Tom the last time around, and even though this injury is much more serious, Tom figures he's got nothing to lose.

So he decides to put his faith in Alex, but by doing so, he's trusting his personal legacy to a man with the history of shady claims and unproven theories. It'll upend a two-decade run of dominance unlike anything the NFL has ever seen, and put Tom's massive worldwide influence behind quack medicine, questionable diets, crypto, and avocado ice cream. From Wondery, I'm Sarah Haggyie, and I'm Amel Niazi. And this is Scamphalinters. Amel, I'm going to tell you about a sports story that's about so much more than a game.

It involves one of the most famous athletes on Earth and his obsession with playing professional football for as long as he can, which leads into a holistic medicine guru with fringe theories and a dark history of pedaling pills and potions. This is the story of celebrity, the quest for perfection, and one man's fight against time. This is Superstar Sports Scammer Part One. You're probably wondering how somebody becomes a so-called body coach. Well, Alex Carrero got into wellness after personal tragedy.

In the early 1990s, when he was in his mid-20s, he watched his father-in-law slowly waste away while battling a fairly common type of skin cancer. He later said this about it on an infomercial. It should have been very easily dealt with, and it went misdiagnosed. And unfortunately, after years of horrific therapy, after losing his right arm, his scapula, his clavicle, he took three ribs, he passed away.

Alex's father-in-law was only 50 when he died. Alex was devastated, so much so that he dedicates himself to a new mission in life. If that time I vow that nobody in my family would ever suffer from that disease again. So he goes searching for an approach to wellness that's more aligned with his worldview. That's when he finds traditional Chinese medicine.

And there's one thing Alex really responds to, the alkaline diet theory, the idea that non-acidic foods can stop disease in its tracks. Think less coffee and more water, fewer strawberries and more spinach. Actually, one thing I have always remembered about Tom Brady is that he does need tomatoes because of this alkaline diet.

And for years, I've wondered how scientific that is, is that actually backed up by anything? Should I be avoiding tomatoes? I mean, the scientific evidence for it is debatable. There is evidence that an alkaline diet might help with bone health, back pain, and some types of chemotherapy. But Alex goes a step further. He later claims that an alkaline diet helps to prevent diseases like diabetes and disorders like anxiety and depression. It's just so wild to claim those things with no medical degree. It's quite scary. How far people can go with these types of theories?

Yeah, and while Alex is studying traditional Chinese medicine in the early 90s, he's also a young father with bills to pay. So he enrolls in a massage school in Santa Monica and starts working as a masseuse. He develops a theory about muscles that he calls pliability. It's the idea that as we get older, our muscles get tighter and more dense, and he believes that massaging muscles to be long and resilient can help prevent injury. He also thinks people should get their muscles moving quickly after an injury instead of resting so they can be retrained to work properly.

Alex wants to spread the word about his theory, so he starts working with a local high school's track and field team. And Alex finds that by combining Chinese medicine practices and pliability, his clients are recovering fast and suffering fewer injuries overall. The track starts he works with are thrilled, obviously. Plus, they really like Alex. He's always loved sports, and he's actually

the son of a former Argentinian pro soccer player. So he gets where these young athletes are coming from. He's got a wide smile, an infectious laugh, and tons of energy. He's honestly just fun, so his clients recommend him to their friends. And that leads him to his bread and butter football players. Throughout the 1990s, Alex works with high school football stars who go on to get recruited by schools like USC and UCLA and when those kids head to the NFL they take Alex with them. So before long he's got a pretty impressive roster of clients. I mean I can see why so far

except for the strawberries and tomatoes it sounds like he's marrying traditional medicine with different practices, and that's very normal to me, I think. These days, that's pretty regular, right? Yeah, I mean, it doesn't sound super crazy to mix those two things, and Alex's star is on the rise. He wants to use that momentum to evangelize his theories and make money doing it. So, thanks to his entrepreneurial streak, his business is about to take off. Meanwhile, across the country, Donald Barrett is driving around suburban Boston. Donald's in his mid-twenties, and he already looks like the lawyer for a mob boss. He's got dark thinning hair and wears wide ties.

In early 2003, he started his own direct to consumer sales company ITV Direct. Basically ITV finds products, creates info-mersials for them, and then takes a cut of the sales. And now, a few months later, Donald's looking for a little motivation. And he finds it in this guy named Tony Robbins. Amul, what do you know about Tony Robbins? What? Don't I know about Tony Robbins. I mean, I feel like Oprah really introduced him to the world, and he came out guns blazing,

he had people walking on hot coals. He was kind of like the original girl boss, right? The hype man for people who want to learn how to sell stuff. I don't know what they're selling, but I know that they're like excited to do it. Well, a few years earlier, Tony actually released his Get the Edge set of self-improvement tapes, CDs, and DVDs. And that's what Donald's listening to while cruising around suburban Boston. And Tony can't stop talking about this guy named. Dr. Alex Guerrero, the man I told you about, has such extraordinary results of people like

Shaquille O'Neill and a lot of other peak performance athletes and teams, but he also uses the same process of alkalinity to get people healthy who have been diagnosed as terminal ill. I'm really amazed at how these things happen. Like so quickly, it went from a guy who's just sort of trying out these theories on teenagers to suddenly Tony Robbins, one of the most famous motivational speakers, is his hype man.

That's wild. Yeah, and we don't know exactly how Alex and Tony found each other, but they're both in Southern California at this time, and they're both getting followings by operating a little bit outside the mainstream. And Alex Guerrero definitely isn't a doctor, but nevertheless... Alex is the closest thing to genius I've seen. He's a doctor of Chinese medicine, and he's known because he's able to take two extremes of people and help make a difference.

He takes peak performance athletes when they're burning out and turns them around, but he also is specialized in his practice on taking care of patients, designated as untreatable by their physicians. Five years later, approximately 85% of them are still alive and thriving. I'm honestly very concerned we've gone from this guy can take an athlete and help them heal to he's curing terminally ill patients and basically bringing them back from the dead. Well, Tony and Alex have actually teamed up to sell some kind of green drink that Tony

says was specially formulated by Alex. So if you're interested in drinking that green drink, give us a call. You can reach us at 1-877-GO-FOR green. And Donald's all ears. He's a direct to sales guy looking for things to sell. And Tony's basically swearing this green drink performs miracles. Wellness is a huge market.

This could be just the thing that will put ITV, Donald's new infomercial company on the map. So Donald sets out to meet this Alex Guerrero and spread his message to the world. Later that year, Donald and Alex officially go into business together. ITV becomes a sole distributor of Alex's green drink and agrees to make ads for it.

Donald's offering Alex the chance to promote his supplement to a captive audience, millions of people watching late night TV. They film an infomercial to promote supreme greens. And yes, that is what they're calling the drink. And we do actually have the video of this infomercial. I really doubt anyone has seen this footage since it aired on television.

For reasons we will get to in a moment. We actually had to submit a freedom of information act request to get our hands on it. And trust me, it was worth all the paperwork. The informational is set up like an interview on a fake TV show called Today's Health. Here's Donald introducing the fake TV show that he's pretending to be the host of.

Hello and welcome to another edition of Today's Health. My name is Donald Barrett and on our show today, we have one of the leading experts in researchers in alternative healthcare, Dr. Alex Guerrero. I feel like this is the kind of thing I would have watched on late night television as a kid. 100% like. And the same.

Yes, this is possible. I would have been trying to convince my parents to buy the green drink. Well, Alex tells Donald his beliefs about the healing effect of reducing acid in our bodies. And guess which product can supposedly do that? Is it the green drink? It's supreme greens. Alex explains that supreme greens is a dietary supplement that he says is, quote, blood purifying. He backs it up by claiming he conducted a study of 200 patients with terminal conditions, nearly all of whom lived after taking supreme greens. Tell me why weren't all the red flags going up at that point. I think the phrase purifying blood is so twisted. Oh, and the

infomercial claims that with supreme Greens, you can lose 80 pounds in 8 months. And that's because fat is the body's way of protecting against acidic fluids, so less acid, less fat. And it's safe for everyone to take, including pregnant women. Alex says that his wife took it during her pregnancies, and that he even adds supreme greens to his baby's formula. And one of his patients saved a dying kitten by force feeding it supreme greens. I was concerned about having his wife drink it during her pregnancies, but when you said force feed a dying kitten, that's it, you lost me. Like this guy has to be stopped.

And, this could be all yours, Emil. Bottles start at just $32.98, not including shipping and handling. I mean, I would try it. The informational airs on Spike TV, Women's Entertainment, and the outdoor channel. And here's the thing, Alex is really convincing. He's so confident confident and he's using medical words that sound legit. It's an immediate slam dunk. ITV sells $14.7 million with their Supreme Greens in less than a year.

There are natural healing techniques being suppressed in this country. We have a very controversial show, so stay with us. Supreme Greens is such a success that it actually gets the attention of the press. And some of this attention is understandably pretty critical. In April 2004, the TV news show 2020 confronts Guerrero and asks to see the study he's sited in the infomercial. Well, Alex tells them that actually there is no study. It's just based on his own clients. Oops, Alex busted. And he throws Donald under the bus. He says that his production company ITV twisted his words to make the supplement seem like a miracle pill. Donald responds by saying that Guerrero had seen and approved the ad.

If you are already throwing each other under the bus, this business is about to take a dark term. Well, two months later, the FTC files a complaint against Donald, ITV, and Alex. The alleged at Alex lied about being a doctor, about what Supreme Greens could do, and about the clinical study. The FTC also tax on claims of deceptive practices.

A judge orders Donald along with another co-owner of ITV to each pay more than $48 million in fines. But Alex seems to get off pretty easy. As part of his settlement, he has to turn over his escalade and the FTC orders him to never refer to himself as doctor of anything ever again. Not the escalade. Yeah.

That's worse than the lifetime band or nothing is the call yourself a doctor anymore. I know. I mean, he's also barred for life from making false or unsubstantiated claims about the health benefits of any food, drug, or dietary supplement, or making claims about any test or study. Now, the partnership that was the big break for both Donald and Alex, the one that made them a ton of money and got them in front of millions of viewers

has completely fallen apart. Years later, Donald is interviewed on a YouTube show called In The Weeds, and you could just hear the bitterness in his voice. I had some issues with him. He came on my show. He said he was a doctor. He wasn't a doctor.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a legal team at the time that vetted every single infomercial. But this doesn't slow Alex down. He pivots back to treating professional athletes, and Alex spends the next few years flying all over the country working for sports superstars like NFL running back, Ladinian Tom Linson, and Tom Brady's teammate, Patriots linebacker, Willie McGinnis. And Alex is about to land his most famous client yet,

one that will change a course of Alex's life, and of an NFL dynasty forever. When Tom Brady blows out his knee in September 2008. It's the first major injury of his eight-year professional career. The Patriots are the only NFL team Tom has ever played on, and their whole philosophy is about putting the team above individual players. They even have a phrase to describe it, the Patriot way. And up till now, Tom's been the consummate team player,

and he's really benefited from that mindset. For example, when he was just a rookie, Tom stepped in to replace a starting quarterback who got hit so hard he nearly died. And after Tom started playing, he just never stopped. But now, with a seriously busted knee, that starting job is in jeopardy. So he turns to the one guy he believes

can get him out of this mess. The same guy who made him feel better after he suffered a hernia two years earlier. Oh, and this hernia, it was so painful. Brady told Howard's during that. The testicles were like literally like one side was like, I would say like an orange. And then the other side was normal. And I was like, something's wrong here. Oh my God, something is very wrong there. Yeah, that shouldn't be happening. And Alex could use Tom's help too.

He's recovering from more than a few business missteps. There's Supreme Greens, of course. And he's also started a new company, BioForce, that sells health and wellness products. But a lawsuit filed by former investors, alleges BioForce is mismanaged, and that Alex uses investor money to buy fancy cars and go on expensive vacations.

I don't know what's more embarrassing. The names, Supreme Greens, and BioForce, or the fact that both of those names would work on me, and I would buy both of those supplements and think that I am changing my life forever. Yeah, also, I love that he did end up buying a car in the end. He replaced that escalate right quick. So Tom and Alex both need each other to have the careers they've always dreamed of. So they get to work. Tom does everything Alex suggests. Eat only what's in season and avoid alcohol, fine. Skip the weights and train with resistance bands, great. Meditating,

napping on a schedule, vigorous massages both before and after practices, whatever it takes. And they become really tight. Alex is a little older than Tom, but they're both devoted fathers with a woo-woo spirituality streak, and they both have a borderline destructive work ethic fueled by an insatiable drive to succeed. And together, they start producing results that are impossible to ignore. Without Tom, the Patriots struggle. They actually miss the playoffs entirely. But by the start of the 2009 season, Tom's back on the field and feeling better than he has in years.

And announcer John Gruden, who's supposed to be impartial, nearly cries when Tom jogs onto the field. I want to run out there and hug him and welcome him back to play it again. He is clearly a global superstar. He cries when Tom jogs on to the field. Tom has this effect on men in the sports world. They're obsessed with him. More than one sportscaster has said, man-crush in the clips I've been watching. The sports world is so in love with Brady and so happy he's back. They really are obsessed with him. He's like a projection of exactly the type of man that sports

men wish they could be. Like, yes, tall and handsome, but so dedicated, so committed, so ruthlessly obsessed with winning. Yeah, he's like Kim Kardashian for men. He is the Kim K of men I love that the Patriots don't actually get very far into the playoffs, but Tom comes out the real winner He's named 2009's comeback player of the year He's reached the highest level of athletic achievement by doing whatever Alex says After this, Tom's faith in Alex is unshakable. He decides to take a support a step further by publicly endorsing a new product called Myomed sold by Alex's company BioForce. Originally developed and endorsed by elite athletes

like Lydany and Tom Linson, Lisa, and Tom Brady. This revolutionary life-changing pain cream is now available to you. All these generic names, and I'm just so amazed every time I hear these athletes that are endorsing it, people who are at the top of their game, who never stop to question myomed, sold by bioforce, and it just kind of makes me think, yeah, I guess anyone can be scammed.

And also, these names mean nothing. They're just words. What is myo? And get this. Tom's wife, Giselle, allegedly granted bioforce, the exclusive rights to manufacture and distribute her cosmetics line, Seja. That's according to a fraud lawsuit

that was later filed against Guerrero and settled out of court. And it seems like Tom and Alex become like family. In 2009, when Tom and Jacelle have their first kid, they make Alex his godfather. But while Alex is hitting career and personal highs with Tom and Jacelle, another well-known client is experiencing a tragic turn. In 2011, Lilliana Hernandez arrives at the Resurrection Catholic Church and the east side L.A. neighborhood of Boyle Heights. The church has a soaring art deco tower and its dark wood doors are propped open. More than 600 people have gathered, including a mariachi bend and several cameraman capturing everything.

They're here to pay respects to Liliana's husband, Henaro Chicanito Hernandez. He's a two-time world super featherweight boxing champ turned commentator. He was just 45 when he died from a rare cancer. Henaro worked with Alex for years, crafting his training and nutritional regimen. Under Alex's coaching, Hanoi became a world champion boxer twice. They were like family. So much so that Hanoi made Alex the godfather of his son,

even before Brady did the same thing. But all the chameleons disappeared when Alex allegedly started hitting Hanaro up for money and failed to repay it. That's so sad. And it's really sad to hear that their trainer is the one that they're making Godfather to their children. Like, it's a very intense relationship and everything you're saying is just really taking me into that world and making me realize how small these circles are for athletes like this. Yeah, it's almost like Alex becomes indispensable in every part of their lives.

Yeah. While an interview's published just months before he died, Hanoi claimed Alex asked him for a $200,000 loan to start a vitamin supplements company. Hanoi said Alex promised he'd start making his money back right away. But then, Alex just disappeared. Hanaro never saw a dime. When contacted by a reporter from the Boston Globe, Alex has lawyer denied these allegations.

But in an interview with the World Boxing Federation, Hanaro went so far as to call Alex a scam artist. Amel, can you read me more of what he said?" He said, quote, he did me a tremendous disservice and I believe he's still doing it to other people. This guy is out there taking advantage of innocent people and being part of my family and to do something like this and leave me broke is just shameless. Imagine making someone the godfather of your child and then later on saying this on the record. It's just brutal. Yeah, and despite only ever having lost two fights

in his whole career, Hennaro died flat broke, a promoter paid for his cancer treatment and Floyd Mayweather Jr., Hennaro's final opponent covered the cost of his funeral. I mean, it says a lot about the camaraderie that those athletes have with each other and then in contrast speaks so starkly

to this man who purports to be family and then in the end leaves them high and dry. Yeah, and despite Hennaro's accusations and the FTC find, no one in sports media pays much attention to Alex. Maybe it's because he's now Sven Golly to the NFL's Golden Boy Tom Brady. But Alex isn't satisfied with staying on the sidelines.

It seems like he wants his own platform to promote the unusual theories he believes in. And why shouldn't he? In sports, while this is big business. In 2011, Alex starts another business, 6-degree nutrition. It sells herbal, pre, and post-workout supplements. But there's one product that raises eyebrows and gets federal regulators attention. A meal you are going to love the name for this.

It's called Neurosafe. It's a sports drink that, you know what, I just need you to watch the commercial for it. Neurosafe puts neuroprotective nutrients into your athletes' brain before an injury. So necessary resources are present to halt or slow the processes that lead to more significant injury. This needs recovery and mitigates the condounding effects of multiple compressions. The absurdity. I'm a gas, Sarah, I'm a gas. Well, at one point, a personal endorsement from Tom appears on the 60-degree nutrition website.

Emil, could you please read it? Okay, I'll try to get through this. So Tom says, quote, neurosafe makes me feel comfortable that if I get a concussion, I can recover faster and more fully. There's no other solution on the market today that can do what neurosafe does.

I mean, what's so disturbing about this is what we know now, and even started to know at that time about concussions, about CTE, about the horrific brain damage that it causes to these players' brains, and to suggest that this fake pill can somehow prevent that, I just think it's really breaking my heart. Well, six degree nutrition markets Ne narrow safe as, and I quote, a seatbelt for your brain.

And to your point, this is right around the time actually that a string of NFL player suicides is raising awareness about CTE, which is a degenerative brain condition caused by multiple concussions. I mean, I can just imagine anyone playing football at that time, whether it be at a much junior like high school level, who's concerned about CTE or brain damage, is seeing ads for this pill that's marketed by their hero Tom Brady

and going, I have to get that. And I just think that's the level of horror that maybe is just starting to dawn on me. Yeah, there are a lot of layers to this. And I will say that like, to me, it also kind of minimizes concussion if you could just take a supplement and that will act as a seatbelt for your brain.

How bad can a concussion be? Yeah. Well, the FTC investigates in 2012, but Alex pulls Nero's safe from the market as soon as they start investigating. So the agency takes no action, even though this seems like a violation of his lifelong ban on making false claims

about the health benefits of any supplement. But once again, Alex dodges real consequences. So he gets even more bold, and he's about to get an even bigger platform by officially joining forces with one of the most famous well-connected people on Earth. In May 2013, Tom and Alex officially go into business together. Instead of simply endorsing what Alex creates, Tom's now going to be co-owner.

They name their business TB12. TB for Tom Brady, obviously, and number 12 for Tom's Jersey number. A few months later, right after Tom turns 36, he and Alex open a more than 7,000 square foot physical therapy center right across the street from Gillette Stadium. They call it TB12 Sports Therapy Center. At TB12, Alex can treat Tom and the other patriots players who see him. And Alex can start training other body coaches in his methods. Everyone from pro athletes to regular workout junkies can come to TV 12 for massages, training sessions,

nutritional advice, and of course supplements. But you can really see here how so much more than the supplements and the green drinks is, Tom is able to provide cover for Alex in a really different way, because this is seemingly on the surface a legitimate business that provides opportunities to train people, and it just is sort of like, unnerving how Tom Brady is able to legitimize Alex

through TB12. Yeah, and the company's website says it's a series of healthy daily habits designed to eliminate pain and prevent injury and that it's proven by Tom Brady. But when press to explain just what exactly TB 12 is, Tom and Alex both kind of stumble around. They say it's a well-rounded approach to being your best at any age and a winning mindset. You know what? It's a lifestyle, okay? Tom thinks TB12 is a manual for how to be Tom.

If this combination of diet and exercise worked for him, anyone can do it. Ah, yes. This genetically gifted man who's been training his entire life to just do this one specific thing. If it can work for him, it can work for anyone. Yeah, I believe I could do it. Well, this marks a pretty major step for Tom. This business isn't about the patriots, it's about him. Like every pro athlete, he's got to think about life after retirement.

Now, staying healthy is about more than continuing to play quarterback. It's about establishing his brand and proving that TB12 works. So the pressure is on to staying P condition and stay on the field. No matter what. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has got salt and pepper hair, and the kind of face that says, I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. He famously rocks a slob chic look of hoodies with sleeves cut off, and Belichick is famous for buttoning players up, controlling the narrative, and not getting distracted by bad press.

And he doesn't tolerate shenanigans. His mantra, do your job. This seems like a real direct threat to Alex's whole way of life. His mantra is shenanigans. Well, when Balschik hears that Tom and Alex are going into business together, he's probably a little annoyed. I mean, he wants Brady to do his job and the team doctors and trainers to do theirs,

and he doesn't know where Alex fits into this equation, but he also knows he needs to make an exception for his star player to avoid any major headaches. So, Belichick extends an olive branch. He hires Alex as a consultant and gives him access to every nook and cranny of Gillette Stadium. Alex has an office by the locker room, sideline passes for every game, and he rides on the team plane. Alex is even invited to

meetings with Patriot staff where player medical records are discussed. I'm just kind of taken aback by how proximity lends itself to legitimacy and how at every stage it's not just Tom but the people around Tom who offer Alex this cover for what he's doing and you see that with the amount of power he's amassing at every different stage. So much power and it's because they are at this point kind of a package deal. But less than a year later, Bellicic has regrets. Big time. First of all, Alex reportedly tends to blame the Patriot staff trainers for player injuries without offering any meaningful solutions on how to avoid injuries in the first place. So now, the players are turning against Bela Chick and his medical staff.

Oh, and according to Boston Magazine, the Massachusetts State Licensing Board is investigating TB12 and Alex specifically, because it turns out that not only is Alex not a doctor, but he is not licensed by the state as a massage therapist or an athletic trainer. And on top of that, TB12 is not a licensed facility for medicine, physical therapy, or massage therapy. Spoiler, that investigation, like so many others, ends with no action taken. TB12 continues thriving. The man's not even licensed to give a massage. the world continues thriving. The man's not even licensed to give a massage, okay? And here he is handing out pills and prescriptions.

I mean, you know, prescriptions in the way of like, you should do this and you should do that. To some of the most famous athletes in the world. Like, how is that not so jarring? It's kind of like anyone could do anything as long as they have. But your mind to it. A very rich person who's very famous being like, trust him.

Yeah, yeah. But the thing that seems like it must get to Belicechak, Tom, who's 36 years old, has said that he wants to play into his mid 40s. Belicechak has been an NFL coach since 1975, and in his experience, he probably thinks Tom is approaching his expiration date, and Bellicic wants to plan for the future. One Tom Brady isn't a part of. The Patriots come so close to the Super Bowl that year, but no cigar. And actually,

2013 isn't a great year for Tom judging by his stats. And Tom only has two more years on his contract. So in the spring of 2014, Balochik drafts a backup quarterback. Jimmy Garoppolo. Tom has had backups before. There's always a couple on the roster in case he gets injured. But Jimmy's different, he's projected to be a superstar. By drafting him, Bellicic and the Patriots are signaling

that Jimmy is Tom's heir apparent. For the next two years, while Tom's under contract, Jimmy will learn from him and then step in as quarterback when Tom retires, or is traded to another team. This happens all the time in the NFL, but Tom is pissed. And then Bellicic makes a public comment that really sets Tom off. This happens all the time in the NFL, but Tom is pissed. And then Belichick makes a public comment that really sets Tom off. When asked by reporter why he decided to go with a backup quarterback, Belichick says,

you know what Tom's age and contract situation is. Harsh. The next thing Belichick does is make it clear he runs a show in New England. He takes away Alex's all-access past to Gillette Stadium. Alex stays on as a consultant and is allowed on the sideline during games. But Belichick wants to put an end to any confusion about what medical advice Patriots players should follow. He's probably thinking, cornerbacks don't play into their 40s, and no matter what

Alex says, rigorous massage isn't gonna solve every athlete's physical injuries. Balochec's hoping Tom retires with grace. But the way Tom sees it, Balochec has stabbed him in the back. And when the pressure mounts on the Patriots, a shocking betrayal will put Tom, his body coach turned business partner,

and their questionable beliefs under a microscope. All while the Patriots fend off one of the most ludicrous controversies that NFL has ever seen, and the greatest dynasty in the history of modern sports will start to crumble from within. Hey, Prime members, you can listen to scamful answers, add free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen ad free with Wondery Plus and Apple podcasts.

Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short survey at Wondery.com slash survey. I'm Sarah Haggie, and this is Superstar Sports Gamer Part One. And I'm Emil Niazi. We use many sources in our research. A few that were particularly helpful were Seth Wickershim's reporting for ESPN and his book It's Better to Be Feared. Chris Swini's reporting for Boston Magazine and Jeff Benedict's book, The Dynasty.

Sarah Annie wrote this episode. Additional writing by me, Sarah Haggy. Our senior producer is Jen Swan. Our producer is John Reed. Our associate producers are Charlotte Miller and Tate Buzzby. Sarah Annie and Alison Wyentrop are story editors. Our senior story editor is Rachel B. Doyle. Sound Design is by J. Rothman. Fact checking by Sonya Maynard. Additional audio assistance provided by Adrian Tapia.

Our music supervisor is Scott Velasquez for FreeSons Sync. Our executive producers are Janine Cornelow, Stephanie Gems, and Marshal Louis for Wondery.