As Super Bowl LIX unfolded, one major topic of discussion centered around the controversial officiating seen throughout the postseason. This issue quickly resurfaced during the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs when Tom Brady expressed his disapproval of a first-quarter call. The Chiefs’ defense seemed poised to force a punt as the Eagles approached field goal range, but a flag was thrown against cornerback Trent McDuffie for unnecessary roughness on an incomplete pass from Jalen Hurts intended for Dallas Goedert. Brady immediately voiced his disagreement, stating, “Goedert was going up for it. Trent McDuffie was too. Looked somewhat incidental. Ah, not much there either. I don’t like that one either,” referring to another controversial call earlier in the quarter against the Eagles. He added, “I just think you throw the ball high in the defense and he barely gets hit in the face. I just feel like these big games always come down to one or two calls.”
Brady also disagreed with this call against the Chiefs.
“I don’t like that one, either…Look, I was on the end of the Tuck Rule and I was glad Twitter wasn’t around then.”pic.twitter.com/sYunedbrZN
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 10, 2025
Brady then drew upon his experience from the infamous “Tuck Rule” game in 2002 against the then-Oakland Raiders in the AFC Divisional Round, which also came down to a single controversial call. For those unfamiliar, here is a video showcasing the play where Brady appeared to fumble, yet the ruling was an incomplete pass.
He remarked, “Look, I was on the end of the Tuck Rule and I was glad Twitter wasn’t around then,” humorously referencing the situation where he benefited from a dubious decision.
As Brady noted, had social media existed during the Tuck Rule game, it likely would have spawned conspiracy theories suggesting the games were rigged in favor of the Patriots, similar to what has been observed leading up to Super Bowl LIX. Nevertheless, the officiating controversy continues, especially considering the Eagles scored a touchdown on the subsequent drive, which might not have occurred without the pivotal penalty.
Jalen Hurts with the tush push/brotherly shove TD to get the Super Bowl LIX scoring started. #NFL pic.twitter.com/7QYTEivZ5w
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 10, 2025
