DETROIT – Tom Brady faced possible punishment for some comments he made during the Detroit Lions' win over the Packers.
Brady was the color commentator for the FOX broadcast on Sunday evening, and the comments in question were made after Brian Branch was penalized 15 yards for an illegal hit on a defenseless player.
Originally, the 15-yard penalty was all that came of the hit, but then the NFL’s review center called in and ejected Branch from the game.
Brady openly criticized that decision.
“I don’t love that call at all,” Brady said. “I mean, obviously it’s a penalty. But to me, (there) has to be serious intent in a game like this.”
Why would Brady be in trouble for that? Seems pretty mild, right?
Well, now that Brady is a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, he’s subject to certain ownership rules that prevent him from being too critical of teams or referees.
So, apparently, that comment was enough for league officials to consider taking action. But ultimately, Brady was not punished for those comments.
Even though nothing came of this, it does raise questions about Brady‘s ability to call games for FOX. If he can’t even say that without the threat of repercussions, how can he effectively analyze games for viewers?