Tom Brady may have put himself in a tough position on Sunday after he made critical comments about a call in the Lions-Packers game.
Due to Brady’s status as a minority owner of the Raiders as well as an analyst on Fox for NFL broadcasts, the quarterback great has certain rules that he has to abide by in the booth.
One of which is that Brady can’t criticize the refs during a broadcast and the seven-time Super Bowl champion may have crossed that line while on air on Sunday.
Lions defensive back Brian Branch was controversially ejected from the game after a hit on Packers’ wide receiver Bo Melton.
The decision came from the review center in New York and not from the officiating crew on the ground in Green Bay, which led Brady to agree with the penalty called on Branch, but question the decision to kick him from the game.
“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.”
Brady quickly returned to analyzing the game and what the ejection of Branch meant for the Lions.
“He does so much for these guys and they’re going to have to adjust the rest of the game losing their best defensive player, who I know they were expecting to have a huge day today. Not an easy guy to replace and Green Bay has great field position now without having to do too much,” Brady said.
Brady has had to walk a fine line in his role this season while finally completing the process for his ownership stake in the Raiders.
It remains unclear if Brady would be facing any issues from his comments about the call, but it will be the first real test of the restrictions on him in the booth.
Brady had caused a bit of a stir recently after he described Bills quarterback Josh Allen as a “spaz” while calling the Bills game against the Seahawks.
The play itself on Sunday, saw Branch make contact with Melton’s helmet on an incomplete pass.
The officials called him for unnecessary roughness before the NFL office jumped in to have Branch ejected from the game, which infuriated the defensive star.
Senior VP of Officiating Perry Fewell said in a pool report after the game that the decision was made in consultation between the on-field officials and the officiating team in New York.
“We reviewed all the angles, and we clearly felt that he had time and space to make a different choice, as the act was a flagrant foul. And he clearly had the opportunity to avoid the head and neck area,” Fewell said.
