NFL Explains Why Tom Brady Won't Be Punished After Criticizing Referees in Week 9

Karl Rasmussen | 5 Hours Ago

FOX commentator Tom Brady stands on the sideline before a game between the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt were on the call for FOX's broadcast of the NFC North rivalry between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. Brady is prohibited from criticizing officials when commentating games due to his ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. However, that didn't stop him from finding fault with one key decision from the referees on Sunday.

After Brian Branch was ejected from the game due to an illegal hit to the head on a defenseless receiver, Brady quickly disagreed with the decision from the officials. That prompted many fans to wonder if the 47-year-old had violated the rules set for him with his comments.

On Monday, an NFL spokesperson cleared the air on the situation and made clear that Brady would not face discipline for his comments.

"The concern would be if Tom was egregiously critical of officiating or called into question the integrity of an official or the crew. That did not occur in this instance," NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy now elaborates on why Tom Brady won't be punished:

"The concern would be if Tom was egregiously critical of officiating or called into question the integrity of an official or the crew. That did not occur in this instance."

— Ben Fischer (@BenFischerSBJ) November 4, 2024

In other words, Brady's criticism of the referees wasn't harsh enough to justify punishing him. It seems Brady would need to make "egregious" or integrity-questioning criticism of officials to warrant any disciplinary action from the NFL.

In his initial comments, Brady said, "I don't love that call at all. I mean, obviously, it's a penalty, but, to me, that has to be serious intent in a game like this.”

As part of Brady owning a minority stake in the Raiders, he's been banned from visiting non-Raiders facilities and attending production meetings, while also unable to criticize officials or teams on air.

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