Tom Brady, despite all of his wild success, has not been free of controversy in his career. He finally admitted as much today on social media.
While Tom Brady has simply been the GOAT during his time with the Buccaneers, not every moment of his career has been solely focused on his greatness.
Long before he was the greatest of all time or even a Super Bowl champion, Brady was just a normal, if not unassuming, player with his eyes set on a ring.
Who would’ve thought that would turn into a spot of glory amongst the football pantheon forever?
It was hard for everyone to see a career like this to happen all those years ago, and it was probably even harder for Brady’s opponents during one of the most controversial moments of his career.
If we go all the way back, one moment going different could’ve changed football history as we know it. Had Brady not won that first Super Bowl would the Patriots dynasty still exist? Perhaps to some degree, but it would be safe to say it would certainly be different.
Well, the Oakland Raiders can probably think of that day and shudder. The Tuck Rule Game.
The Raiders had a chance to advance to the Super Bowl. All they had to do was stop the young upstart Brady and his Patriots. Everyone knows how it went: Charles Woodson made the tackle. The Raiders recovered. Game over. Until it wasn’t.
Instead of calling the attempted tuck as a fumble, the officials overturned the call, called it an incomplete pass, and gave the ball back to Brady and the Pats. Dynasty begins.
That moment has to live in infamy for a lot of fans. The rule no longer exists. That enough should be telling as to how the league feels about that moment.
The new twist to this story is that Tom Brady finally admits what everyone already knew; the play “might have been a fumble.”
Everyone keep this on the down low please. pic.twitter.com/xPtrg1kXjr
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 5, 2022
Oh, you think?
Everyone already knew this, and Brady is continuing on with his Tampa persona as a league comedian. It might be easy for the GOAT to admit this now after the career he has experienced, and at least the Raiders, specifically Woodson, get closure. But Patriots fans can’t be happy about this.
Still, one has to wonder; if Brady and the Pats lost that game, how would his career have been different? Would Bill Belichick still led it ride with a young backup? Would Drew Bledsoe have more rings?
Individual plays matter, and considering the impact they have over time, the NFL should have every incentive to check rules each season and make sure the game is held to the highest standard possible.
Regardless, Tom Brady got away with it, and not it is clear that he knows just how lucky he was.
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