Tom Brady is fined over $16,000 for a “reckless slip” in the process of knocking Bucs out of the first round of the playoffs against Cowboys safety Malik Hooker
Tom Brady was fined $16,444 for “unnecessary rudeness” last week in the wild card round playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys, which the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 31-14.
The punishment comes a little less than a week after Brady came under fire in the third quarter for a dirty tackle on Dallas safety Malik Hooker, which was initially spotted by eagle-eyed NFL fans, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rappoport.
Bucs’ center Ryan Jensen was also fined $8,333.33 for the same game for the same reason.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport announced that Tom Brady was fined $16,444 on Sunday
The hefty fine comes after Brady, 45, tried to ‘slip’ Cowboys safety Malik Hooker.
Brady’s reckless play was dubbed “dirty” by NFL fans after the Bucs were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs
During the game, Hooker had recovered a fumble from one of Tampa Bay’s wide receivers, Chris Goodwin, and was on his way up when he was finally brought down by Bucs receiver Julio Jones.
During the return, however, Brady appeared to have gone to the ground to “slip” the Dallas defender out of frustration.
After the game, the umpires overturned the fumble call, but Braddy’s challenge left those who might be watching the 45-year-old’s last postseason game should he confirm rumors of a post-season retirement.
The Cowboys were no match for the Bucs, marking Brady’s 23rd NFL season and a rare first-round playoff elimination.
This season hasn’t exactly been kind to Brady, to say the least, amid his divorce from Gisele Bundchen
The seven-time Super Bowl champion had not been eliminated from a Wild Card Series game since 2010, when the New England Patriots lost to the Baltimore Ravens.
The following year, Brady and the Patriots were knocked out of the playoffs in the Divisional Round after losing to the New York Jets after a bye week in 2011.
In 2020, the Tennessee Titans, led by Ryan Tannehill, defeated Brady and the Patriots 20-13 on Wild Card Weekend. It turned out to be Brady’s last game for Bill Belichick’s side as he then signed with Tampa Bay in the offseason.
The 45-year-old quarterback has been linked with a move to the Las Vegas Raiders (pictured)
Brady was also advised to return to New England two years after leaving to retire as a Patriot
That season proved an arduous one for the three-time league MVP, with injuries proving to be the Bucs’ Achilles’ heel as the team stumbled to an 8-9 season before inevitable first-round elimination in the postseason.
Brady has also found himself in the spotlight far more often than he’s used to, for the wrong reasons, following his divorce from ex-wife Giselle Bundchen in October – barely a month into this season.
The man with the most career quarterback wins is now a free agent after his two-year contract with Tampa Bay expired and has a chance to choose his next target if he continues playing.
A return to New England to eventually retire as a Patriot — the team that drafted him in 2000 — is on the cards, while speculation also links him to the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets.