Tom Brady’s Latest Comments on NFL Referees Put His FOX Role and Raiders Ownership Restrictions Back in Focus (Getty Images)
Detroit won 20–17, but the penalties took over the conversation. As of Monday, no punishment has been announced, FOX declined to comment, and the NFL had not immediately responded. Tom Brady spent much of Sunday’s Packers-Lions broadcast questioning flags, and it put an old issue back in front of the NFL. Brady is FOX’s lead NFL analyst. He also owns a piece of the Las Vegas Raiders, and that comes with limits on how hard he can criticize officials. Roughing calls against Green Bay for hits on Jared Goff drew his sharpest reaction.
Tom Brady’s officiating criticism and the line the NFL set for him
In November 2024, Brady questioned Brian Branch’s ejection during another Packers-Lions game, and the NFL took no disciplinary action.
NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said then that the concern was excessive criticism or comments questioning an official’s integrity. The issue is not that Tom Brady disagreed with the officials. Analysts do that every Sunday. What makes his case different is the Raiders stake, and Front Office Sports reporter Mark Maske laid out how the league treats it once the broadcast started drawing attention. “The NFL’s restrictions on Brady, stemming from his role as a Raiders part-owner, include a limitation on how far he can go in criticizing the officiating. It’s subjective,” Maske wrote. The league has been here before. So far, no flag has come from the league office. Until one does, Brady’s Sunday stays on the safe side of a line only the league can see.