Yes, Tom Brady and Jon Gruden still talk about the “tuck rule” game whenever they see one another.
By now you already know the story behind the New England Patriots’ divisional round win over the then-Oakland Raiders in 2001. It’s forever known as the “tuck rule” game because of a controversial call that ultimately allowed for the Pats to win the game.
That win spurred the Patriots’ Super Bowl run, which kicked off the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick-Patriots dynasty. But Brady now is playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are set to face Gruden and the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
On Wednesday, Brady was asked about the “tuck rule” game, and his response was pretty interesting.
“I’ve only been around him a few times – not too often – but it gets brought up every time we are around one another. I could see why he hasn’t gotten over it. One of my ex-teammates Charles Woodson – we’ve been together probably more than that and he and I have hashed it out. That was just an unbelievable game. I still see it today and it’s a great part of my football history and it’s probably a very sour part of their football history, but that’s the way it goes. We had that in ’07 when we played against the Giants in the Super Bowl, and in ‘11 and in ’17 – one team wins and one team loses – it’s a fluke call, one ball bounces your way or one goes the opposite way. I’ll always feel I have some type of strong feeling or emotion toward the Raiders. I’ve played them a few times since and they’ve got a great history of football [and] football players. Al Davis [is] just one of the pioneers in the history of the NFL. Whenever you play them, you kind of always feel that. I remember we used to go to the old Oakland Coliseum, and you sit down and look at that guide. It shows you all of the different players they’ve had and their contributions to the NFL. It’s pretty neat playing against them. I know they’ve moved on to a different place, but they’re still the Raiders and they’re having a hell of a season.“
The Bucs-Raiders game will kick off at 4:05 p.m. ET.
