Tom Brady risks facing disciplinary action from the NFL over his criticism of the referees in the Lions-Packers matchup

Tom Brady disagreed with the referees' decision to eject Brian Branch in the second quarter of the Lions-Packers game.

Tom Brady risks facing disciplinary action from the NFL over his criticism of the referees in the Lions-Packers matchup

Tom Brady (Image via Open Source)

Some things never change…Tom Brady paid an estimated $30,000 in the form of fines to the NFL during his 23-year career. Even though he is retired now, he has put himself in a position where he risks facing disciplinary action from the league after his recent comments during the Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers game.

Tom Brady called out the NFL’s officiating crew in the second quarter of the Lions-Packers matchup. The referees opted to eject safety Brian Branch after he hit Packers wideout Bo Melton in the head while playing defense.

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I don’t love that call at all, obviously it’s a penalty, but to me, there has to be serious intent in a game like this.

Tom Brady commented while performing his duty as a broadcaster for FOX

Under normal circumstances, the league would not bat an eye over his choice of words, however, Tom Brady is a special case. The seven-time Super Bowl champion is a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, which means he must follow another set of rules. One of those rules is that he cannot criticize the NFL’s officiating crew. His comments on Sunday violated that rule.

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The NFL does not have any issue with the former quarterback’s comments just yet

The league has been serious about owners critiquing the referees. In 2006, they fined then-Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney $25,000 for calling the game officials out. Last season, Andy Reid, the HC of the Chiefs was fined $100,000 for the same. However, the league might make an exception in this case.

Tom Brady
Tom Brady (Image via IMAGO)

A report courtesy of Front Office Sports states that the NFL has ‘no issue’ with the former quarterback’s comments during the game. The league likely let his comments slide because of his choice of words. While he disputed the call, he did not resort to calling the officials extreme adjectives such as incompetent or amateur.

While he may have gotten off this time, the league is not likely to be as lenient the next time. It is hard for Tom Brady to execute his role as a broadcaster for FOX while being an owner of an NFL team, but with great power comes great responsibility which means the former NFL legend will have to pave his path.