Letters

The Brady Bunch
Several years ago, while playing football at Michigan, Tom Brady (Cool Customer, April 15) was a mentor to the fourth grade class I teach. He was the most unselfish, pleasant and hardworking young man you could ask for. At a time when there is so much cynicism in sports, Tom is a positive role model for the NCAA, the Wolverines and the NFL. The children and staff at Eberwhite Elementary in Ann Arbor are proud of him and wish him the best.
SHARON H. GREELY, Ann Arbor, Mich.

When did SPORTS ILLUSTRATED become PEOPLE magazine? I'm rooting for Brady to become a superstar of substance, but the shirtless cover pic is already lining my birdcage.
MIKE MAY, Indianapolis

Wow! Your cover had two athletes from different sports—Tom Brady and Barry Bonds—who graduated from the same high school. I hope Junipero Serra High School ( San Mateo, Calif.) isn't jinxed for the next decade.
BOB KITTLE CROWLEY LAKE, Calif.

Behind Bars
The public is quickly tiring of famous people who can't clean up their own lives but tell everyone else how to make the world a better place. Jim Brown (Prisoner of Conscience, April 15) should start working on the concept of personal responsibility before he sounds off about social issues.
MATTHEW D. CULBERTSON
New Cumberland, Pa.

In a few short pages your jailhouse interview with Brown exposed depths in the man that may have been previously hidden by some of his other qualities. Brown hits as hard in the ethical and philosophical arenas as he did on the athletic field.
MARK D. GRABINER, Chicago

How refreshing, after Charles Barkley's narcissistic posturing a few issues ago, to read of Brown's obviously genuine dedication to the plight of inner-city black youth and his lamentations that today's megarich black athletes show so little real interest in doing anything about it.
RICHARD BOYCE, San Francisco

I don't know Brown, but I've had an anger problem, and his saying, "I'll probably continue to have anger. I just have to not strike out at anyone ever again," is like a drunk's saying he can imbibe in moderation. It's a plan destined for failure.
JEFFREY FORD, St. Louis

Bravo, Alessandro
As a fan of Alex Zanardi (After the Miracle, April 15), I was brought to tears by your recent article on Alex's crash and recovery. I'm heartened to see that his zest for living helps him now as he gets on with life and enjoys his family. My only complaint with your article is the picture of the crash, as graphic a photo of a racing crash as I've ever seen.
MICHAEL S. GREENE, Elkhart, Ind.

Congrats on your superb article about Zanardi. Thanks to the fine work of William Nack, my opinion of Alex is even higher than it was before his accident. Adversity has brought out his finest qualities.
ED SANTANGELO
Babylon, N.Y.

Phil Phanatics
Rick Reilly hit the nail on the head again. I don't care if Phil Mickelson (THE LIFE OF REILLY, April 15) ever wins a major. I'll take his guts and penchant for the dramatic anytime.
DAN BALLOU, Albuquerque