Tom Brady could be facing some punishment for breaking an NFL rule during a broadcast on Sunday afternoon.
As both a broadcaster and a team owner, Tom Brady is subject to special rules when calling games. And it appears that he may have broken one of those rules on Sunday, which could lead to consequences.
As a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, Brady is explicitly banned from criticizing officials – like players, coaches and other owners. However, that did not stop him from criticizing the officiating in Sunday’s game between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions.
During the game, Lions safety Brian Branch received a penalty for a hit to the head and neck area of Packers wide receiver Bo Melton. After a review by league officials in New York, the referees then ejected Branch for the hit.
While Brady seemed to agree with the penalty, he criticized the decision to eject Branch for the hit.
“I don’t love that call at all,” Brady stated during the broadcast in a clip shared by Awful Announcing. “I mean, obviously, it’s a penalty, but, to me, that has to be serious intent in a game like this.”
While this may seem like harmless commentary for most broadcasters, Brady’s criticism of the officials is a clear breach of the restrictions imposed on him as a team owner, and it could land him in trouble with the NFL.
Needless to say, this situation led to a lot of reactions on social media.
“Time to end Tom Brady as a broadcaster because he was part ownership of the Raiders,” one fan wrote on X.
“If he can’t say that, then he shouldn’t be working as Fox’s top analyst and be a minority owner,” another fan added.
“If he can’t express an opinion as a broadcaster of the game because he’s a part owner in a team, then perhaps he should not be doing the TV work,” another fan said.
“Big fine incoming Monday for Brady,” another fan speculated.
“If he’s not allowed to say that, he can’t do this job,” another fan added.
“When has he ever played by the rules?” another fan said.
We’ll have to see whether or not Brady is punished for this criticism.
