Tom Brady Won’t Face Punishment for Criticizing Referees During Packers-Lions Game, NFL Says

Former NFL star-turned broadcaster and minority owner Tom Brady will not face any punishment from the NFL for his criticisms of referees during a recent game between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions, according to multiple reports.

While commentating on the game for Fox Sports, Brady, 47, openly disagreed with the refs decision to eject Brian Branch over an illegal hit to the head on a receiver. “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,” Brady said of the call.

For most broadcasters, his criticism wouldn’t be an issue, but as part of his deal to become a minority owner in the Las Vegas Raiders, Brady is now restricted from complaining about officials or teams on air.

The NFL determined, though, that Brady did not violate those terms.

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy spoke to the Sports Business Journal on the incident, saying “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.”

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The Lions ended up winning the game, beating the Packers by a score of 24-14.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion, who is midway through his first season as the network’s lead NFL analyst, has improved over the course of nine weeks in his rookie year as a broadcaster, critics say.

During a recent appearance on the Let’s Go! podcast — which he used to co-host prior to joining Fox — Brady gushed about his new job, but said that broadcasting can’t beat the rush of playing on the field.

“It’s been really fun to sit and watch these games from the 50-yard line,” Brady said. “Although I’d much prefer to be on the field playing, because it’s a lot more fun down there, but I’m not doing that anymore. But just watching from above and seeing how these guys are performing is pretty cool,” he added.