Tom Brady is at least willing to consider the other side of one of football’s most popular debates.
The future Hall of Fame quarterback recently hopped on a TikTok trend spearheaded by Justin Bieber, who asked his fans and followers to tell him something honest. Brady used the opportunity to revisit one of the most memorable plays in NFL postseason history.
“The ‘Tuck Rule Game’ against the Raiders? It might have been a fumble,” Brady whispered in a video tweeted Thursday.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion quickly issued a follow-up to the video, making it abundantly clear that he’s not admitting the referees got it wrong on that snowy night in Foxboro back in January 2002.
“I said might. Such a tough call,” Brady tweeted. “No choice but to respect the officials probably correct decision.”
It can’t be understated how differently Brady’s NFL career might have played out had the referees awarded the Raiders a fumble and Charles Woodson and company went on to win that divisional-round playoff game. In a documentary about the infamous play, Brady acknowledged he probably would have entered the 2002 season as the backup quarterback in New England had it not been for the tuck rule.
What makes the situation all the more fascinating is the tuck rule was eliminated from the NFL rulebook ahead of the 2013 season. So while Brady’s skill and tireless work ethic paved the way for an unprecedented career, it’s safe to say he’s encountered plenty of good fortune along the way, too.
