The NFL has made their decision on whether or not to punish legend Tom Brady for calling out the officials in his week 9 broadcast. Brady specifically did not like a decision by the referees in the Detroit Lions game against the Green Bay Packers and he voiced his opinion that he felt that was not the right call.
NFL Report Reveals Tom Brady Will Not Be Punished
Brady voiced strong disapproval of the NFL’s decision to eject Detroit defensive back Brian Branch during Sunday’s game against the Packers. Branch was penalized in the second quarter for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Packers wide receiver Bo Melton, which led to his ejection.
Brady, now in his first year as a FOX commentator, didn’t hold back in criticizing the officials’ call. As a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, however, he is technically restricted from publicly criticizing officiating decisions during games.
“I don’t love that call at all,” Brady said during the broadcast. “Obviously it’s a penalty, but to me, there has to be serious intent in a game like this.”
Lions DB Brian Branch has been ejected from the game after a helmet-to-helmet hit. pic.twitter.com/wgX5m9AOGr
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 3, 2024
Most fans expected that he would get fined for calling out the officials as he is now a minority owner and because of that he has additional rules for his broadcasting. Those rules include:
- Not permitted to be in another team’s facility
- Not permitted to witness practice
- Not permitted to attend broadcast production meetings, either in person or virtually.
- Prohibited from publicly criticizing game officials and other teams
- Subject to the league’s gambling policy
- Subject to the league’s anti-tampering policies, limiting him to “strictly social communication with members of other clubs”
He seemingly indeed broke his rule of being “Prohibited from publicly criticizing game officials and other teams” but according to Front Office Sports, Brady will not be punished for disagreeing with the officials’ decision.
Brady won’t be punished for his comments during Sunday’s Packers-Lions game, a source familiar with the situation told Front Office Sports.
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That would appear to violate the league’s ban on Brady criticizing teams or referees. But the NFL had “no issue” with his comments, according to the source. Brady won’t be fined.
NEW: Tom Brady won’t be punished for his comments during Sunday’s Packers-Lions game, a source told FOS.
The NFL had “no issue” with Brady’s comments after Lions DB Brian Branch was flagged and ejected for hitting Packers WR Bo Melton in the head.
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— Front Office Sports (@FOS) November 4, 2024
Fans all thought that he would be facing some sort of punishment for breaking the rules before the report came out:
“He’s probably going to get fined for it over this dumb deal he’s got, but when he stops being robotic and shares his instinctual reactions it’s pretty great,” one fan wrote.
“When officials call a bad game you cannot say anything about it says NFL. If it is bad, don’t say it’s bad, if it is good say it’s good. Why isn’t AI used instead of commentators, but I guess they too might slip up too and be fined,” one fan added.
“Monday morning Adam Schefter tweet: “Tom Brady has been fined and suspended,'” another fan joked.
It’s good to see that the league did not give Brady a punishment as this will continue to allow him to say what he feels in regards to the game without fear of being fined for voicing his feelings. At the end of the day, hearing what the greatest quarterback thinks throughout the game is the sole reason why he has the job, and good on the league for not trying to censor Brady too much.
Related: Former NFL Star Antonio Brown Gives Tom Brady a Powerful Apology
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