Tom Brady Fined for Grady Jarrett Kick; Stephen A. Smith 'Ashamed' of Falcons at Bucs Controversy

In the end, the NFL is admitting it screwed up, in a sense, as Bucs QB Tom Brady has been fined $11,139 for attempting to kick Atlanta's Grady Jarrett.

Grady Jarrett did it just right in taking down Tom Brady. And he did it just right again in detailing part of the problem with the awful call that lingers on ...

"When people watch it to be entertained, they love to see some game-winning drives and then when you do it the right way, that’s what makes it so frustrating because you did follow the rules,'' he said.

“And you didn’t do anything bad, so let’s get the game what the game is owed, and that’s the best product we can put on the field. 

"That’s the thing that really drives you just a little crazy.''

As the NFL world knows, Atlanta Falcons standout Jarrett sacked Bucs QB Tom Brady late in last week's NFC South showdown. If the refs let it stand, it would have given the Falcons an opportunity to pull off a come-from-behind win.

Instead, the refs flagged Jarrett for a "roughing'' violation that simply did not happen, which resulted in an automatic first down for Tampa.

And a 21-15 loss for Atlanta.

Jarrett is right about the "crazy'' and he's right about the "entertainment,'' too, which is where ESPN voice Stephen A. Smith comes in. He orchestrated a cartoonish rant against Brady, who kicked at Jarrett while also, Smith notes, whined to officials begging for a call.

“I’m pretty damn ashamed of Tom Brady, too,” Smith said Monday during a “First Take” segment. “Tom Brady looked at the ref and was looking for a call. ‘Where’s the call?’ ... Win fairly. What are you looking at the referee for? You’re Tom Brady, you’re a seven-time champion. ... What the hell are you looking at the official to make a call on that play?”

Tom Brady has been fined $11,139 for attempting to kick Atlanta Falcons defensive end Grady Jarrett on a sack in the Bucs' 21-15 victory over the Falcons last week. pic.twitter.com/bTtoO5yXJv

— Tampa Bay Diehards 🏈 ⚾🏒 (@TampaBayDHards) October 14, 2022

In the end, the NFL is admitting it screwed up, in a sense, as Brady has been fined $11,139 for attempting to kick Jarrett. (Which he actually tried to do ... twice.)

What’s interesting is that Tom Brady actually tried to kick #Falcons Grady Jarrett twice. Everyone saw the phantom roughing the passer kick. But this was earlier in the game: https://t.co/XIHVOiTaSF pic.twitter.com/bH5J1uEhYo

— Evan Birchfield (@EvanBirchfield) October 14, 2022

Smith is a comic actor, so his rant is meant to "entertain.'' Brady also thinks it's funny, as joked on SirusXM’s the Let’s Go! Podcast, “It was a long hug, a long unwelcome hug from Grady. And he was in the backfield all day. So as I said after the games, I don’t throw flags. What I do throw is tablets, and I didn’t have one accessible at that time. He had a hell of a game. I’ll leave it at that.”

But the Falcons - who now must move on at 2-3 to play the Niners in Week 6 - don't see much humor in a play that caused coach Arthur Smith to call the ref a "f---- b----.''

Said Jarrett, again getting it just right: “I’m not saying that it cost us the game, but it cost us an opportunity to go win the game,” he said. “If it’s costing people games, it’s going to cost people’s livelihood’s, it’s costing people opportunity.''

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