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Tom Brady acknowledged that he is a nightmare for NFL referees. The legendary quarterback spoke on his podcast about his relationship with officiating crews and conceded that he is a tricky player for them to manage:
“I’m always complaining to the referees. ... When they see that they get selected for my game, they lose sleep because they realize I’m a pain in the a**. That’s just kind of the way it goes.”
Brady said after the Bucs lost on Sunday to the New Orleans Saints. Sean Payton's team has now bested Brady's Bucs in three of their last four meetings. The quarterback knows how tough it is to win on the road, and he certainly feels that the referees didn't help his team.
Brady doesn't shy away from the blame
Brady's criticism of the referees didn't deter him from blaming himself. The quarterback told reporters after the game that he was also responsible for the Bucs losing to their divisional rivals:
“I think I just threw it to the wrong guy, I had Mike (Evans) open. It cost us the game.”
Brady lamented his game-losing interception that sealed the game for the Saints. The great player owned the mistake, but he additionally let the referees take some heat:
“There were a lot of tight calls, and I was still complaining about all of them,”
Furthermore, Brady elaborated on how he pesters referees to no avail. However, he does accept that referees don't target specific teams when doling out penalties:
“Most of the time they basically ignore me, because everyone’s yelling for calls. ... There’s holding for every play in the NFL, it’s just whether they’re going to call it or not. Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don’t. They basically even out over the course of the season.”
The officials penalized the Bucs nine times in New Orleans. Whenever a team commits that many fouls, they are always likely to lose the game. Brady considered the loud noise made by Saints fans as another element that hurt his team.
It was a real divisional game, and it could tip the balance of power. Indeed, the Saints are legitimate contenders, and a win over Brady's Buccaneers confirms that. Brady will continue to pester and annoy referees as he looks to gain any advantage.
