Tom Brady Could Be In Trouble For Kick To Ed Reed In AFC Championship Game

Tom Brady delivered a kick to Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed as the quarterback slid at the end of a run, leaving some observers to think that Brady could be getting a fine from the league.

In his team’s 28-13 loss to the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, Brady looked downright human. He threw for one touchdown in the game and ended the loss with interceptions on consecutive possessions. At one point, he even ran into umpire Chad Brown near the end of the first half when he tried to scramble for a first down.

Six plays after that, Tom Brady ran to his left and attempted to slide as Ed Reed closed in. Brady went into his sliding motion but kept his foot high, striking Reed and upending the safety.

Tom Brady didn’t get a penalty for the kick, and the Patriots went on to get a field goal from Stephen Gostowski on the possession for a 13-7 lead — the last points they would score all game.

Yahoo! Sports writer Doug Farrar said any other player would probably be looking at a fine for the play but thinks Tom Brady’s kick probably won’t cost him anything.

He wrote:

“We don’t fault Brady for the Daniel LaRusso move, but could you imagine how the NFL would react if Reed did the same to Brady? Ray Anderson, the league’s Senior VP of Operations, already tried to suspend Reed once this season under questionable circumstances, only to see the suspension overturned. Reed probably would have been deported to Jupiter in this case.”

Tom Brady’s slid also caught the attention of Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who was seen arguing with a referee that it should have been an unnecessary roughing call.

As USA Today noted, whether the kick was legal or not, Tom Brady was taking an unnecessary risk by running. There were fewer than 20 ticks left on the clock in the first half, and, by running the ball, Brady ensured that his team would not have another chance at the endzone.