In the latest episode of his Let’s Go! podcast, Tom Brady got a little testy about a question regarding whether he’ll play in 2023. He also had some grievances to air about the fine imposed as a result of one of his actions from his final game of 2022.
The league imposed a $16,444 fine on Brady for an attempted sliding trip of Cowboys defensive back Malik Hooker after a third-quarter fumble recovery.
“I’m a little disappointed, though, because I tried to tackle [Hooker] with my right shoulder and missed him,” Brady said, via JoeBucsFan.com. “And I wasn’t going to try to stick my arm out, so I was trying to get him on the ground. I missed him completely. I didn’t even hit him. I tried to trip him but I didn’t. So, I don’t know how you can get fined for something that didn’t even happen. Are they fining an intention? It’s like targeting and you miss the person you hit, and they still call it targeting. So, I got to figure out and understand why this is the case. This is why I wish our NFLPA was stronger.”
It’s odd that he’d take a shot at the NFL Players Association when his appeal hasn’t even been resolved yet. Maybe the NFLPA will mount a successful defense and win, like it did for Saints defensive end Cam Jordan and the fine for faking an injury.
Also, it’s bizarre that Brady would justify his actions by pointing to the fact that he failed to succeed.
He admits he tried to trip Hooker, a clearly dirty and unacceptable play. The fact that Brady tried to commit a blatant violation of the rules and failed should be enough to get him fined.
And it’s not like it was out of character for Brady. He kicked Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett twice in a regular-season game. (Brady was fined $11,139 for one of the kicks.) Brady also has gone cleats up on multiple occasions when sliding.
Usually, it’s a manifestation of frustration. A temper tantrum when things aren’t going his way.
Guess what, Tom? In every game, things don’t go someone’s way. And yet few players have a history of acting like a spoiled brat when that happens.
Yes, Brady is the greatest of all time. There’s no doubt about that. But it doesn’t give him a pass from fair scrutiny. Sometimes, he acts like a punk when he doesn’t get his way. In this case, he admits that he did it. His excuse is that the trip didn’t actually trip Hooker. How is that the union’s fault?
The union has an obligation both to the players who commit violations of the rules and to the players on the wrong end of those maneuvers. Should the union stand tall for the rights of players to try to trip, target, spear, etc. other members of the union, as long as those efforts miss the mark.
This is a bad look for Brady, in my opinion. He should just take his L, shake the coins out of the couch cushions, pay the fine, and move on.