Superstar Sports Scammer | Part I
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Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Scamfluencers early and ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or Apple Podcasts. Today, I'm joined by a special guest host, Emil Niazzi, 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 Saatchi for the next two episodes.

Amil, what's 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 and Botox, every time I drink a glass of water, I'm like, look at me. Water does not make you look like Gwyneth Paltrow or give you glowing skin. It just keeps you from dying. But I've convinced myself that it's like a 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 upend their lives.

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. Emile, 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 supermodel Gisele Bundchen and they are like a scary uber-alpha couple.

Emile, that is all very correct information. He is very alpha. He is 6'4", 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. As he throws the ball, and it's complete!

A gigantic lineman barrels into him. Tom rides on the ground. 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 going to do all the running around and playing 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 met 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 within a matter of days, the pain was gone.

That's wild. That's truly wild. 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 a 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 Hagee. And I'm Emile Niazi. And this is Scamfluencers.

Emile, 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 him to a holistic medicine guru with fringe theories and a dark history of peddling 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 1. You're probably wondering how somebody becomes a so-called body coach. Well, Alex Guerrero got into wellness after a 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. 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. At that time, I vowed 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 doesn't eat 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 metaphors.

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 stars 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, you know, marrying sort of traditional medicine with different products.

And that's like 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-20s, 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 infomercials 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.

Amil, 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...

I'm really amazed at how the

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 gaining 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 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-4-GREEN. And Donald's all about green.

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 the sole distributor of Alex's green drink and agrees to make ads for it. Donald's offering Alex a 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 posted.

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 infomercial 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 and researchers in alternative health care, Dr. Alex Guerrero. I feel like this is the kind of thing I would have watched on late night television as a kid. 100% same. Yes, this is possible. I would have been trying to convince my parents to buy the green drink. 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 eight 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. Yeah.

And this could be all yours, Emile. Bottles start at just $32.98, not including shipping and handling. I mean, I would try it. The infomercial airs on Spike TV, Women's Entertainment, and the Outdoor Channel. And here's the thing. Alex is really convincing. He's so confident, and he's using medical words that sound legit.

It's an immediate slam dunk. ITV sells $14.7 million worth of 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 cites in the infomercial. Well, Alex tells him 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 turn. Well, two months later, the FTC files a complaint against Donald, ITV and Alex.

They allege that Alex lied about being a doctor, about what Supreme Greens could do, and about the clinical study. The FTC also tacks 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 not being able to 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 LaDainian Tomlinson and Tom Brady's teammate, Patriots linebacker Willie McGinnis. And Alex is about to land his most famous client yet, one that will change the course of Alex's life and of an NFL dynasty forever. ♪

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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 been the one who's been the most important player in the Patriots' history.

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 Stern that...

Oh, 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's 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 name 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 Escalade 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 wanted to run out there and hug him and welcome him back to playing again. He is clearly a global superstar. I just can't wait to see what he does next.

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 sportsmen 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 his 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 LaDainian Tomlinson, Lisa Leslie, and Tom Brady.

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? What?

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 Giselle have their first kid, they make Alex his godfather of

But while Alex is hitting career and personal highs with Tom and Giselle, another well-known client is experiencing a tragic turn.

In 2011, Liliana Hernandez arrives at the Resurrection Catholic Church in the east side LA 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 band and several cameramen, capturing everything.

They're here to pay respects to Liliana's husband, Genaro "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. Genaro worked with Alex for years, crafting his training and nutritional regimen.

Under Alex's coaching, Hanaro became a world champion boxer twice. They were like family. So much so that Hanaro made Alex the godfather of his son, even before Brady did the same thing.

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

But in an interview with the World Boxing Federation, Hanara went so far as to call Alex a scam artist.

Emile, can you read me more of what he said? He said, quote, Imagine making someone the godfather of your child and then later on saying this on the record. It's just brutal. Yeah.

Yeah, and despite only ever having lost two fights in his whole career, Genaro died flat broke. A promoter paid for his cancer treatment, and Floyd Mayweather Jr., Genaro'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 speak so starkly to this man who purports to be family and then in the end leaves them high and dry.

Yeah, and despite Henaro's accusations and the FTC fine, no one in sports media pays much attention to Alex. Maybe it's because he's now Svengali 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, wellness is big business.

In 2011, Alex starts another business, Six Degree Nutrition. It sells herbal, pre- and post-workout supplements. But there's one product that raises eyebrows and gets federal regulators' attention. Emil, 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 athlete's brain before any injury, so necessary resources are present to halt or slow the processes that lead to more significant injury. This speeds recovery and mitigates the compounding effects of multiple concussions. The absurdity. I just, I'm aghast, Sarah. I'm aghast. Well, at one point, a personal endorsement from Tom appears on the Six Degree Nutrition website saying,

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 like fake pill can somehow prevent that, I just think it's really breaking my heart. Well, Six Degree Nutrition markets NeuroSafe 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 NeuroSafe 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.

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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 TB12 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 a

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 pressed to explain just what exactly TB12 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 so.

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 stay in peak 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. Ha ha!

Well, when Belichick 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, Belichick has regrets. Big time. First of all, Alex reportedly tends to blame the Patriots' 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 Belichick 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's 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. 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 can do anything as long as they have a very rich person who's very famous being like, trust him. Yeah, yeah. But the thing that seems like it must get to Belichick, Tom, who's 36 years old, has said that he wants to play into his mid-40s. Belichick has been an NFL coach since 1975, and in his experience, he probably thinks Tom is approaching his expiration date.

And Belichick 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, Belichick 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, Belichick 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 Belichick makes a public comment that really sets Tom off. When asked by a 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 pass 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, "quarterbacks don't play into their 40s." And no matter what Alex says, rigorous massage isn't going to solve every athlete's physical injuries. Belichick's hoping Tom retires with grace. But the way Tom sees it, Belichick 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 the NFL has ever seen, and the greatest dynasty in the history of modern sports will start to crumble from within.

I'm Sarah Hagee, and this is Superstar Sports Scammer Part 1. And I'm Emile Niazi. We use many sources in our research. A few that were particularly helpful were Seth Wickersham's reporting for ESPN and his book, It's Better to Be Feared, Chris Sweeney's reporting for Boston Magazine, and Jeff Benedict's book, The Dynasty. Sarah Eni wrote this episode. Additional writing by me, Sarah Hagee.

Our senior producer is Jen Swan. Our producer is John Reed. Our associate producers are Charlotte Miller and Tate Busby. Sarah Enney and Allison Weintraub are our story editors. Our senior story editor is Rachel B. Doyle. Sound design is by Jay Rothman. Fact-checking by Sonia Maynard. Additional audio assistance provided by Adrian Tapia. Our music supervisor is Scott Velasquez for Freesound Sync.

Our executive producers are Janine Cornelow, Stephanie Jens, and Marshall Louis for Wondery. If you like Scamfluencers, you can listen to every episode early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondery.com slash survey.