Former NFL all-star quarterback Tom Brady lamented the amount of penalties called in the professional league in his first year as a spectator of the sport.
Brady, who would have gladly accepted a roughing the passer call during his reign in the NFL, made his claims about the state of officiating on his Let’s Go podcast while speaking with fellow host Jim Gray and Larry Fitzgerald. The conversation centered on the recent Buffalo Bills vs. New York Giants game wherein the giants lost in the final seconds due to a missed defensive holding call.
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“It’s definitely a penalty,” Brady said. “There was obviously a holding, they just didn’t call it.”
Brady still, however, felt that too many penalties get thrown in a game based on physical contact.
“Football is a physical sport, there’s a physical element to all of this,” he said. “You throw a 15-yard flag for something that, you know, 20 years ago maybe wouldn’t have had a flag. That affects the game in a big way.”
Brady even said the sport has started to resemble flag football, fearing the sport could become that.
“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 said.
CBS Sports noted that “there have been 1,402 flags thrown through six weeks, including declined penalties and offsetting penalties, meaning the league is on track for 4,206 flags thrown. In 2022 there were 3,726 flags thrown and in 2021 there were 3,909”
Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots argues with the referee during the third quarter of a game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on September 22, 2019, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
“On Monday night, there were 20 combined penalties in the Cowboys’ win over the Chargers,” it added.
Tom Brady officially retired earlier this year from the NFL after a long and storied career.
“There is a physical, mental and emotional challenge EVERY single day that has allowed me to maximize my highest potential. And I have tried my very best these past 22 years. There are no shortcuts to success on the field or in life. This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore,” he said.
“I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention. I’ve done a lot of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions. And I am so proud of what we have achieved,” he added. “My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors, and fans deserve 100% of me, but right now, it’s best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes.”
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.