Tom Brady has lasted just under two months as Fox's lead analyst, and he has already become a highly controversial figure. But he remains undeterred in the face of criticism.
The legendary former quarterback was in the booth for the intradivisional game between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions when safety Brian Branch was ejected for destroying wideout Bo Melton with a helmet-to-helmet hit during the second quarter on Sunday. Brady then opined that the call was unjustified, seemingly in violation of NFL rules.
Outrage emerged in the wake of his comments, but he declined to speak up on the matter. Instead, he flashed this message from former U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt on his Instagram Stories on Tuesday:
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Dan Patrick thinks it's problematic for Tom Brady to be both Fox analyst and Raiders part-owner
In what could be discouraging news for the anti-Tom Brady camp, he will not face any consequences for his comments. Brian McCarthy, the NFL's vice president of communications, told the Sports Business Journal:
“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.”
But the mere fact that he has generated controversy over his comments has already made him a toxic topic within the sportscasting realm. Analysts Bill Simmons and Skip Bayless have already raised doubts as to his ability in the booth, and now Dan Patrick is doubting Brady's ability to maintain his neutrality.
The veteran radio host said on his eponymous show on Tuesday (Timestamp: 1:54):
"It's problematic with Tom trying to do both of these things. And it's not something you normally focus on, because we do trust that the analysts go to practice, get a lot of inside information. ... But you need to have your announcer know what's going on. He's not allowed to go into these meetings.
"Now, can he get that information (outside of meetings)? Yes. But if you said, "Tom Brady, you've got to go (to) the locker room and say to Patrick Mahomes, 'I'm curious about this,' chances are Mahomes (will) tell Tom that. But he's not allowed to exchange information or get information because he works for the Raiders. Crazy. Problematic."
The full segment can be seen below.
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