It’s no secret NFL officiating has become a story of its own this season.
It feels like every week officials are making calls that are either inconsistent from crew to crew, or they seemingly make downright blatantly incorrect calls in the heat of the moment. And it’s not just fans who are getting frustrated by the refs.
During Sunday’s game between the Packers and Lions — a 20-17 Detroit win — Fox broadcaster Tom Brady was getting increasingly angry with the number of flags thrown by the officiating crew.
While most fans agree with Brady’s critical commentary, what he said could hit him right in the checkbook because of special rules he must abide by as a broadcaster who’s also a minority NFL owner.
NFL Could Hit Tom Brady With Massive Fine
Because Brady is both an analyst on Fox’s top broadcast team and a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, he’s subject to certain restrictions that other broadcasters are not — specifically publicly criticizing officials.
As part of his ownership agreement with the NFL, there were some restrictions placed on Brady by the other 31 owners as part of his broadcasting contract. Moreover, he challenged the limits of those restrictions on Sunday.
The “Brady Rules” prohibit the seven-time Super Bowl champion from being critical of NFL officials during any games he was broadcasting — something he certainly violated during the Packers-Lions game.
Therefore, if the league does punish Brady for his critical comments, it could cost him $500,000 for a first-time fine under his broadcast agreement. However, it’s possible that Brady could get off scot free considering he found himself in two similar situations during the 2025 season and wasn’t disciplined for either situation.
“The NFL had ‘no issue’ with his comments, according to [a] source,” Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports reported last season. “Brady won’t be fined. The NFL generally issues five-figure fines for first-time offenders who criticize refs, though it depends on the situation.”
What Did Brady Say Exactly?
There were multiple instances of Brady disagreeing with calls on the field. The question is will the league find his remarks mild enough to overlook or is what he said bordering on “egregious criticism” territory.
Brady was vocal about the egregiousness of some of the flags being thrown in the fourth quarter. With a little under 10 minutes left in the game, an unnecessary roughness penalty on Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes brought about an animated reaction from Brady.
“What?” Brady questioned. “There’s no way.”
“We’ve seen a couple (flags) today that have seemed a little odd,” Kevin Burkhardt replied.
“Oh, come on man,” Brady continued. “… He’s just turning his right shoulder away from it. That’s allowed 99 (times) out of 100. It’s a bang-bang play. … When you’re on the field you’ve got to pursue that ball.
“If he catches it, he needs force to knock him on the ground. He needs force to knock that ball off him as a pass-defender. He can’t go in there and (just) put his hand on him.”
Later in the fourth quarter, Brady again sounded off on the officials. He didn’t agree with a roughing-the-passer flag was thrown on Packers defensive tackle Karl Brooks.
“Goff standing in the pocket — my goodness, what is that?” Brady exclaimed. “There’s no way. Brooks on the tackle, he just kind of makes a great play. It’s a bang-bang play. He just rolls off his body. It’s a great throw by Goff. That’s definitely not roughing the passer.”
Even Fox Sports rules expert Dean Blandino agreed with Brady’s assessment.
“That’s teach-tape tackle,” he said. “That’s not roughing the passer.”
Tom Brady Could Face Punishment From NFL Over Comments During Packers-Lions