Tom Brady, despite benefiting from rule adjustments favoring quarterbacks during his extended career, now finds himself a fan critical of NFL officiating following his retirement.
In his first NFL season post-retirement, the 46-year-old quarterback has experienced watching the NFL from the fan’s perspective, which often involves dissatisfaction with the referees’ decisions.
During a recent episode of his SiriusXM show, “Let’s Go! with Tom Brady,” featuring Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray, Brady expressed his critique of the NFL’s officiating. He likened the professional football league to “flag football” and humorously noted its inclusion in the 2028 Olympics.
“There’s so many people that want it less and less physical, it’s more like flag football, which is going to be in the Olympics in 2028,” Brady said. “Maybe football goes to flag football over a period of time.”
He pointed to a specific incident from Sunday’s game between the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills, where a missed penalty adversely impacted the Giants in the final moments of the match.
Brady asserted, “It’s definitely a penalty,” in reference to a play involving the Giants’ Darren Waller. He emphasized that there was clear holding, though the officials did not make the call.
While Brady generally believes that referees’ decisions tend to balance out over the course of a season, he acknowledged that witnessing a call like that felt “really unfair.”
Brady continued, “I don’t know why they call it sometimes when they don’t. I always had a problem when they threw a flag and it didn’t happen. Like, for example, they call a hold and there was no hold. I don’t know how you can throw a flag on something that you didn’t see. I always accepted the fact that if a ref, if there was a hold and they didn’t call it, okay, I didn’t see the call. So sometimes they let guys play.”
Brady emphasized the significance of the missed call on the Waller play during the Giants’ loss to the Bills, describing it as “so obvious.” He recognized that late in the game, everyone desires such calls to be made and hopes that the referees make the correct decisions.
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At the same time, Brady acknowledged the inherent nature of sports, highlighting that referees, like players, are not infallible and occasionally make errors. He advocated for a balanced perspective, suggesting that it’s not always fair to solely blame the referees while also not entirely absolving them of responsibility.
Brady added, “There’s always probably a middle ground in all of it that you’re hoping over the course of the season they balance themselves out and maybe you’re on the positive end of one of those calls.”
The former quarterback expressed his perspective, emphasizing that football inherently involves a physical component.
“Football is inherently physical; it’s part of the sport’s nature. Calling a 15-yard penalty for something that, perhaps, wouldn’t have drawn a flag 20 years ago can significantly impact the game,” Brady stated.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion acknowledged that he understands why casual fans become frustrated when games are decided by officiating decisions. “Because when you watch the game with a TV, you have access to extensive context and replays. On the field, you’re not privy to that,” he added.
Tom Brady, now officially a retired player, is now that guy who believes the game has evolved significantly since he last played.
