Fans on social media quickly jumped on the perception that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady didn’t shake hands with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Some fans on Twitter such as @thegunnarg claimed Brady didn’t shake Burrow’s hand while others such as @SassyJersey just asked the question if Brady did or didn’t. Meanwhile @BillFootballGuy caught a screen shot from the CBS broadcast that Brady did shake Burrow’s hand — albeit quickly as the fan noted in his tweet.
It happened with 17 seconds left in the game after the Bengals’ final kneel down for a 34-23 win over the Bucs. One Bengals fan, @BengalsJack, shared a video clip of the brief Brady-Burrow handshake.
Tom Brady had NOTHING to say to Joe Burrow after their collapse..
You MAD BRO?! @tombrady #Bengals #WhoDey #RuleTheJungle
Brady developed a reputation of occasionally not shaking hands with the opposing quarterback, which started after a loss in Super Bowl LII with the New England Patriots. He didn’t shake hands with then-Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, and a similar instance happened again with Foles when Brady and the Bucs fell to the Chicago Bears in 2020.
While Brady reiterated his respect for Foles since, the perception remained. Brady and Burrow notably expressed their mutual respect in separate press conferences after the game on Sunday.
“He’s a really good quarterback,” Brady said of Burrow afterward.
Burrow said “we said ‘good game’ after the game” during his press conference.
No Autographs this Time
Burrow didn’t want to become the latest young player to ask Brady for his autograph after the game. Brady signed an intercepted football for San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw after a 35-7 defeat on December 11.
“Can’t say I will,” Burrow said in a December 14 press conference.
Brady, 45, acknowledged that appreciation from younger players after games comes with the territory of being an older player. Many of the current players in the league grew up watching Brady over the course of his 23-year career.
“Yeah, it’s just part of being an older player, and I think they have a lot of…yeah, a lot of guys have been watching me for a long time,” Brady said in a December 15 press conference.
“I understand that; I was a young guy, too. I looked up to all the guys that were older,” Brady added. “Brett Favre — I got to play against Brett Favre. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I got to play against…I got to go over to Dan Marino’s house when we were playing at the Dolphins when I was with the Patriots. You always kind of look up to everyone who’s done it really well.”
Brady Offering a Sign for Optimism?
Before Brady threw for two touchdowns and led the Bucs to a 17-0 first half lead, he took practice snaps from injured Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen during pregame warm-ups.
I can’t wait for Tom Brady’s body guard to return.
Jensen injured his knee on the first day of training camp and hasn’t played since. The Bucs haven’t announced if he will return at the end of the season or for the playoffs if the team makes it that far.
“They’re hoping Ryan Jensen comes back, who would be an enormous boost for them, but you got to tread water,” former Bucs defensive back Richard Sherman said on his podcast via JoeBucsFan.com.
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Tom Brady Under Fire for Perceived Move After Loss vs. Bengals