So much for the “Brady Rules” stopping Tom Brady from ripping the NFL’s officiating.
During the Fox Sports telecast of Super Bowl LIX, Tom Terrific boldly criticized what he saw as lousy officiating from the jump. It was an important moment for the seven-time Super Bowl champion turned game analyst.
After a rocky rookie season in the broadcast booth, Brady needed to quickly establish his credibility in the biggest game he would call. He did it—with no reservations and no apologies. Mission accomplished.
Heading into Super Bowl Sunday, I thought the pearl-clutching debate about the “Brady Rules” restricting his ability to be an effective game analyst for Fox Sports was overblown.
Brady didn’t overdo it by criticizing the league’s referees this season. But though Brady played the good soldier during Super Bowl week (blasting the narrative that refs favor the Chiefs as “BS”), he brought it on Sunday.
Right after kickoff, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hit A.J. Brown with a huge completion on fourth down. But the refs called offensive pass interference on Brown. Across the country, millions of viewers who believe the Chiefs get preferential treatment threw up their literal or proverbial hands.
It was a pivotal moment; an early moment for Brady to offer air cover for the league with an excuse for the refs and the Chiefs. Think again.
“Oh, don’t like that one bit. This is too critical of a game,” said Brady. He added: “Let the players play. It should be decided on the field. Don’t like that call to start the game.” To cap it off, Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira agreed with Brady.
Lest you think Brady was in the tank for the Eagles, he also ripped several calls that went against the Chiefs. “I just always feel like these big games come down to one or two calls,” he noted.
Was he outstanding? No. I wanted more analysis from Brady on why Patrick Mahomes had one of his worst games as a pro. Or Travis Kelce’s disappearing act. Or how Andy Reid’s staff was outcoached by Nick Sirianni’s.
Brady seemed overprepared and low energy at times. But it’s hard to gin up enthusiasm during a blowout Super Bowl. Tony Romo had the same issue, calling a dull 13-3 Patriots (and Brady) win over the Rams in his first Super Bowl in 2019. Brady wasn’t as good as Fox’s Greg Olsen in his first Super Bowl two years ago. But Olsen had a much better game to call: the Chiefs 38-35 win over the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.
Still, there’s nobody on the planet who knows more about how the zebras decide the Big Game than Tom Brady. On Super Bowl Sunday, we needed him to be on the viewers’ side, not the refs’, not the NFL’s, and not the Raiders’. Ultimately, Brady pushed the envelope on the Brady rules—and didn’t ask anyone for forgiveness.
A Brady-Focused Pregame Show
Brady makes $37.5 million a year as Fox’s No. 1 game analyst. That’s twice as much as the second-highest-paid analyst, Tony Romo of CBS Sports, who makes $18 million a year. Brady’s monster 10-year, $375 million deal has relegated the talented Greg Olsen to No. 2 analyst. So how does Fox get its money’s worth? By maximizing Brady’s screen time. And by leaning into his status as an American icon.
Consider how Fox used Brady during its six-hour pregame show. Most Super Bowl broadcasters largely keep their game announcing team away from pregame coverage other than a cameo tease or two. But Fox had Brady and play-by-play partner Kevin Burkhardt all over its pregame show Sunday.
Brady threw a pass—over the width of Bourbon Street—to former tight end Rob Gronkowski. Burkhardt and Brady discussed the pressure surrounding Super Bowl Sunday.
But the ultimate TV moment for me came when Brady and Michael Strahan led a salute to the victims of the Bourbon Street terror attack, as well as the Los Angeles wildfires, during an epic Super Bowl opening segment.
Brady spearheaded a parade of silent honorees, including the Fox NFL Sunday pregame crew, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, ex-Saints coach Sean Payton, U.S. military, police officers and first responders, and finally pop superstar Lady Gaga singing a tribute to the people of New Orleans.
“In moments when heads are down, and hope feels lost, something powerful always rises,” said Brady. “The American spirit of courage, generosity and unity.”
It was quintessential Fox Sports. No NFL TV partner embraces the U.S. military, and patriotism, more than Fox. Yes, Brady got stuck with a boring blowout for his first Super Bowl. But Fox wisely portrayed Brady as more than an announcer. It showed him as the ultimate Super Bowl winner; a symbol of America. Not a bad strategy going into next season.
Audition for Sean McVay?
Fox loves to audition active NFL players and coaches with an eye toward hiring them after retirement. That’s how the network ended up snaring Michael Strahan and Greg Olsen for its NFL coverage. So my antenna went up when I saw Rams coach Sean McVay on Fox NFL Sunday with the iconic cast of Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Jimmy Johnson, and Curt Menefee. The Super Bowl–winning coach is only 39 years old. Fox executives are clearly eying McVay as a next-generation castmate on Fox’s industry-leading pregame show—but he’d have options if he ever stepped away. Amazon reportedly offered him a five-year deal worth up to $100 million a few years ago
Fox Fumbles with Gronk
Rob Gronkowski is a fun addition to the pregame show, catching passes from Brady and riding the camera crane. But the guy’s not cut out to conduct live interviews, and Fox shouldn’t ask him to do them. Before the game, he asked Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert: “Because you’ve been here before, personally, how has this week been different from the times when you’ve never been here before?” Say what?
Cruel Super Bowl
- Taylor Swift was roundly booed by the many Eagles fans inside the Caesars Superdome. Swift looked shocked. She’s likely never been booed to that degree in her life. But Tay Tay handled it deftly, with an ironic eye-roll.
- Super Bowl LII Nick Foles delivered a burn on his rival Patriots QB Brady after the second Eagles Super Bowl win Sunday night. “It’s really cool that Tom Brady got to be there for the Eagles’ two Super Bowl wins! He might be a good luck charm,” he wrote on X/Twitter.
- Brady got off a good one post-game, warning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts: “Don’t let that jersey out of your sight.”
- Fox’s new scorebug got plenty of attention during a lopsided game. Some liked the minimalist approach and large font. Others hated it, with a few jokes that it was designed for senior citizens with vision problems. As Tom Fornelli wrote on X/Twitter: “After giving Tom Brady $375 million, Fox only had $25 left to spend on a scorebug design.”
