Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor said he was not trying to injure Tom Brady when he hit the New England Patriots quarterback low during Sunday night’s game.
Asked the following morning for his take on the play, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he “saw the same thing everybody else saw.”
“On a football field, it’s hard to judge intent,” Belichick said Monday in a conference call with reporters after New England’s 31-24 loss to Seattle. “I don’t think the officials can judge intent. I think that’s too difficult. They’re taught to judge what they see and call what they see. That’s their job.
“They made a lot of calls (Sunday) night. We had some that favored us. We had some that didn’t. But that’s their job, and really, I’m focused on our job, which is to prepare and play better than we played (Sunday) night.”
Officials did favor the Patriots on this particular play, slapping Chancellor with a 15-yard penalty for roughing the passer. The Seahawks safety drove his helmet into Brady’s right quad as he released a pass, and the quarterback was seen walking with a slight limp after the game.
“It’s a little sore,” Brady said in his postgame news conference. “But like I said, a lot of guys are pretty sore.”
Brady was slow to get up after Chancellor’s hit, but he did not miss a snap. He completed 23 of 32 passes for 316 yards and no touchdowns in the loss.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
