• Loading stock data...
Saturday, August 23, 2025
The biggest names in sports media. All in one room. Buy tickets now!

Tom Brady Calls Chiefs Conspiracy Theories ‘BS’

“I think it’s just all BS. It’s just a bunch of noise,” said Brady, who will call his first Super Bowl telecast Sunday night.

Tom Brady
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

NEW ORLEANS — Tom Brady is learning how to speak in sound bites for TV. 

On Friday, he summed up the controversy over whether NFL referees favor the Chiefs with two letters: “BS.”

While appearing on Fox & Friends, Fox Sports’ No. 1 NFL game analyst was asked whether he was concerned about the zebras favoring the Chiefs over the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. Brady let loose in a way he rarely has in his first season in the broadcast booth.

“I think it’s just all BS. It’s just a bunch of noise,” said Brady, who will call his first Super Bowl telecast Sunday night with play-by-play partner Kevin Burkhardt. “And these refs have very challenging jobs to do. I’m very happy Twitter didn’t exist during the Tuck Rule game in 2001,” he said, referring to the notorious call that paved the way for his first ring. “Let me say that. I would have been on the wrong end of a lot of those.”

Brady’s stance is not a surprise. Due to his minority ownership in the Raiders, the seven-time Super Bowl winner has been operating under the so-called “Brady Rules,” where he’s restricted from criticizing officials. He also can’t attend practices, enter other team’s facilities, or participate in pregame production meetings with teams or players. 

The latter restrictions are slightly loosened for Sunday’s game, and Brady has taped two interviews with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes this season, including one in the buildup to the Super Bowl.

Brady, who signed a monster, 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox, is singing from the same hymn book as the NFL’s other power players. Everybody from commissioner Roger Goodell to Fox officiating analyst Mike Pereira has ripped the idea that refs are in the tank for Kansas City. 

Goodell dismissed the claim as a “ridiculous theory” on Monday during his state of the league address. He added Brady has been “incredibly cooperative” about balancing his dual responsibilities. “He calls frequently about it and says, ‘Am I doing O.K.?’” said Goodell. And Fox’s Pereira termed the claims a “myth” during Fox’s media day Thursday, which Brady skipped.

But there are some nuances to the so-called Brady Rules in practice. When Brady criticized an unnecessary roughness call during a Packers-Lions telecast in November, many fans waited for the hammer to come from the league office. Instead, the NFL said it had “no issue” with his criticism. In fact, league spokesman Brian McCarthy went out of his way to clarify the rules. “The concern would be if Tom was egregiously critical of officiating or called into question the integrity of an official or the crew,” said McCarthy in a statement. “That did not occur in this instance.” Got it? The standard now is: “Egregiously critical.”

And the restrictions on talking to players are hard to enforce.

When Brady strolls the field before games, he’s so famous that players and coaches seek him out, according to my sources. What is the NFL going to do? Have a security guard tape their conversations? As former Super Bowl broadcaster Bonnie Bernstein pointed out to me, Brady could also call anybody he wants. There isn’t a player or coach in the league who wouldn’t take the call. 

The Brady Rules “don’t preclude him from picking up the phone and calling any one of these guys. I think that’s O.K.,” Bernstein told me. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s off-lining with players and coaches with whom he has relationships.”

The bottom line: The Brady Rules sound good on paper. But in reality, they have little teeth. The NFL wants its winningest player calling games, and Brady keeps saying he wants to complete his lucrative 10-year Fox deal—if not sign up for more. But the rubber will hit the road during Fox’s telecast Sunday night. If the refs throw key penalty flags that favor Mahomes and the Chiefs, it will be up to Brady to call BS on them, not their skeptics. Will he? I think so. But we’ll find out during the most-watched TV show of the year Sunday night.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up as the Texas Longhorns prepare to play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.

Schools Are Hesitant to Allow PE Into Their Athletic Departments

Regardless of budget, schools don’t believe the risk is worth the reward.
Oct 2, 2024; Rosemont, IL, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks with the media during the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.

‘Not Ready to Jump In’: Power 4 Commissioners Aren’t Sold on PE

Top leaders in college sports have yet to see a satisfactory proposal.
Nov 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks at quarterback Drew Allar (15) during the first quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium.

Private Equity Enters College Sports—Without the Equity

As college football starts, lending agreements have become PE’s best way in.

SEC Adopts 9-Game Conference Schedule As CFP Changes Loom

The conference matches schedule formats used by the Big Ten and Big 12.

Featured Today

Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants running back Eric Gray (20) returns a kickoff against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half at MetLife Stadium.

‘Fauxbacks’ Throw Back to a Retro Uniform That Never Existed

Many throwback jerseys are brand-new designs or “Franken-Unis.”
August 17, 2025

‘Labubu Gang’: The Creepy-Cute Dolls Sweeping Pro Sports

The creepy-cute doll is the hottest collectible—and fashion statement.
Middle Tennessee wide receiver Cam'ron Lacy (86) catches a pass and carries the ball during the season final home football game against New Mexico State on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024.
August 15, 2025

How Middle Tennessee State Added $668,000 to Its NIL Budget

The Blue Raiders are creating a new blueprint for cutting costs.
Bridgewater American 12U Little League player Micah Poulter holds a District 7 pin during a send-off rally to the New England regional tournament in Bristol, Connecticut, from Legion Field on Friday, August 2, 2024.
August 14, 2025

Inside the Little League World Series Pin Trade

The rare little collectibles fuel a frenzy in Williamsport each summer.
Jul 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announces the pick for the Athletics pick during the MLB Draft at The Coca-Cola Roxy.

MLB Confident New Rights Will Exceed $550M ESPN Deal

MLB would redistribute rights forfeited by ESPN back in February.
August 21, 2025

Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica on Fox Changes, New Studio, Working With Portnoy

Fallica is in his third year as Fox’s sports betting expert.
August 21, 2025

NBC’s MLB Chase Built on Vision for Yearlong Sunday Night Sports

NBC Sports is gunning for a Sunday night slate rivaling “The Sopranos.”
Sponsored

Building A Pro League From Scratch

Front Office Sports and Gainbridge® spotlight what it takes to build a professional women’s soccer league.
August 20, 2025

Rich Eisen Will Host More ‘SportsCenters’ After Standout Return

Eisen’s nostalgia-oriented Monday “SportsCenter” drew rave reviews.
August 19, 2025

MLB Nears Media Shake-Up: ESPN, NBC, Netflix In, Apple Out?

Sources told FOS that local rights are of particular interest to ESPN.
exclusive
August 19, 2025

Chase Daniel Joins ESPN As College Football Analyst

Daniel had a 13-year NFL career and was most recently an FS1 host.
exclusive
August 19, 2025

Former ESPN NBA Reporter Nick Friedell to Join The Athletic Warriors Beat

The Athletic and ESPN essentially traded writers focused on the Warriors.