Tom Brady was fined after tripping a Cowboys player in the elimination of the Bucs, a team with which he could have played his last game
The NFL fined Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady $16,444 on Saturday for tripping a Dallas Cowboys player in last week’s wild-card game.
The action occurred in the 14-31 loss that the Bucs suffered the previous Monday that left them out of the fight to reach Super Bowl LVII next February.
In the final quarter of that game, Tampa Bay wide receiver Chris Godwin fumbled a ball that Cowboys defensive back Malik Hooker recovered; Frustrated with impending elimination, Brady dove with his leg extended to trip Hooker, who was dropped.
It’s the second time this season that the seven-time Super Bowl winner has been fined for tripping an opponent.
The first time he paid $11,139 came after the regular-season week five game in which the Buccaneers beat the Atlanta Falcons 21-15.
In that game Brady kicked defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, who earlier had knocked down the quarterback in an action for which the Falcons player was penalized for unnecessary roughness.
The 2022 season was one of the worst in Brady’s 23-year career. It was the first in which he finished with a losing record, eight wins and nine losses, despite which he led his team to the playoffs where they were eliminated in the first round.