The controversial holding call in the Super Bowl game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles on February 12 has caught the eye of almost every sports enthusiast, and NFL legend Tom Brady was among them.
In the final moments of the game, when the two contenders were fighting neck and neck, the referee Carl Cheffers called a soft foul on the Eagles cornerback James Bradberry. Following the holding call, the chiefs earned the title by winning three points and snatching the crown.
The controversy since then has become more enraged, and the former New England Patriots legend, Tom Brady, has expressed his view on the matter.
What did Tom Brady say about the referee’s controversial call?
The seven-time Super Bowl champion had played the game for 23 years and came to know every inch of every aspect of the game. Throughout his long professional career, he witnessed the referee’s shortcomings as well as his ineffectiveness.
Brady finally gave his narrative on the controversial decision on his podcast, Let’s Go. “Well it’s always, I think, easier not to call it. The hard one is when you do call it because there’s a lot of scrutiny with that call,” the Patriots superstar said.
As we saw on social media, there is plenty of debate and counter-logic on the call, whether it is correct or not, and the NFL goat has sided with the officials. Even after the decision, which clearly helped the Chiefs win the title, the ‘NFL is rigged‘ conspiracy came under the spotlight again.
“And I think the point is at least from a receiver standpoint, if you’re not gonna cover him, let’s say, within the letter of the law and you’re gonna tug at him, you can impede the receiver from where he wants to go and create an almost impossible throw-and-catch by the quarterback,” Tom explained the decision.
The Eagles’ CB Bradberry, on the other hand, admitted to pulling his shirt but hoped the officials would overlook it. He can’t, however, complain about the decision now anymore.
“And on the other side of the ball, if the receiver pushes off, there’s really nothing the team can do in order to make the play,” the 45-year-old continued. So it’s such a hard situation ’cause you don’t know how the game’s being called all day long.”
Many of us can go on debating whether it is right or wrong, but from the officials’ point of view, the decisions were always right. Rather than focusing all resources on earning money, the NFL can take steps to improve call accuracy and effectiveness.
