It took less than four minutes for the NFL on Fox booth to disagree with an official’s call in Super Bowl LIX. Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown appeared to make a fantastic catch on a long sideline pass early in the first quarter, but he was flagged for offensive pass interference for pushing off Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie.
Fox color analyst Tom Brady expressed his disappointment with the penalty after viewing the replay. “Just getting off the press on McDuffie — ahhh, don’t like that one bit,” Brady remarked as the replay revealed Brown making contact with McDuffie. “This is too critical of a game; the hand-fighting is going on down on that field. What do you think, Mike?” Rules analyst Mike Pereira quickly agreed with Brady, stating, “Certainly I agree, when you look there’s hand-fighting, a little bit of a shove at the end and a trip; I think it’s one that did not need to be called.” Brady added, “In these games, you let the players play. It should be decided on the field. I don’t like that call to start the game.”
Didn’t take long to get an officiating controversy.
Both Tom Brady and Mike Pereira disagreed with this offensive pass interference call on the Eagles.pic.twitter.com/TVhZmQXDNI
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 9, 2025
The Eagles punted, and after Fox returned from the commercial break, play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt mentioned that Pereira had spoken with NFL officials in New York regarding the call. Pereira explained, “The thought process was there was a push-off to the head. Not your typical hand-fighting when it gets to the head. But to me, I still think it’s not enough to be a foul.”
More from Pereira:
“The thought process was there was a push-off to the head. Not your typical hand-fighting when it gets to the head. But to me, I still think it’s not enough to be a foul.”pic.twitter.com/QKjjfIWcos
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 9, 2025
It was commendable of Pereira to swiftly provide clarity on the situation, and it was impressive to see Brady assert himself early in his first Super Bowl as an announcer.
