Tom Brady appeared to violate NFL rules on Sunday, but it sounds like he will not be punished for his actions.
As both a broadcaster and a part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders franchise, Tom Brady has pretty unique rules he must abide by. One of those rules prohibits Brady from criticizing referees, and he appeared to cross that line over the weekend.
During Sunday’s broadcast of the game between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions, Brady criticized the decision to eject Lions defensive back Brian Branch from the game after he was flagged for unnecessary roughness for a hit to the head or neck area Packers receiver Bo Melton.
While Brady is explicitly prohibited from criticizing referees, Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports reports that he will not be punished by the league for his comments on Sunday.
“Though the league has barred Brady from criticizing officials — and much more — on the air because of his stake in the Raiders, there appears to be some wiggle room,” Schiffer wrote for Front Office Sports on Monday.
“Brady won’t be punished for his comments during Sunday’s Packers-Lions game, a source familiar with the situation told Front Office Sports.”
Obviously, the unique rules put Brady in a difficult situation.
On one hand, Brady has a duty to Fox and the viewers to give his honest analysis of the game. On the other hand, he does have to abide by NFL rules as a team owner.
It seems like he was able to thread the needle with his comments this time.
Going forward, Brady will still be prohibited from criticizing officials and other teams due to his status as a part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.
We’ll have to see whether or not he is able to continue avoiding punishment for these types of comments in the future.
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