A frustrated Tom Brady reportedly broke two tablets on the sidelines during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ victory over the New Orleans Saints last weekend.
Brady had already apologised for breaking one tablet but a source confirmed to ESPN that the quarterback had broken a second device during the 20-10 victory, in which he struggled to find a passing rhythm. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer later reported that the NFL has sent memos to all 32 of the league’s teams saying breaking tablets will incur a fine.
Thanks to Tom Brady's tablet-trashing tantrum, the NFL sent every team a memo about not doing that or you'll be penalized & fined. pic.twitter.com/oxt2pC7WrQ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 25, 2022
“I’ve had a pretty bad record against that tablet, unfortunately,” Brady joked during a radio appearance with Jim Gray earlier this week. “I think I forgot the password and I couldn’t log in, so those things can be frustrating.
“Unfortunately, the tablet just happens to get in the way, and obviously that’s the reason things weren’t going great [against the Saints], so I had to take it out on the poor meaningless tablet.”
Brady also threw a tablet during Tampa Bay’s Week 15 loss to New Orleans last season.
The Bucs have won both their games this season but Brady, who led the league in passing yards and touchdowns in 2021, has not been at his best. He has thrown two touchdowns and one interception and his QBR ranking of 38.9 puts him 24th out of 32 qualified candidates.
The 45-year-old has been hampered by injuries to his offensive line and wide receivers. For Sunday’s game against his old rival Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, Brady will be without two Pro Bowl receivers, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Three other Bucs receivers – Julio Jones, Breshad Perriman and Russell Gage – are listed as questionable. Brady is dealing with an injury of his own – to the ring finger on his throwing hand – but will play against Rodgers, whom he leads 3-1 in their head-to-head record.
“I’m trying to make sure I don’t throw my arm out when I throw it, but I was pretty pissed [against the Saints],” Brady told Gray. “Until I get it right, I’m going to keep doing it. Obviously with repetition being the key to success, I got to get the perfect tablet slam, which I haven’t gotten yet. Tune in next week to see if it happens.”