Tom Brady fined $16k for slide tackle on Cowboys safety Malik Hooker after Bucs’ first-round exit

Tom Brady was fined $16,444 for “unnecessary roughness” during last week’s wild-card playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys, which the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 31-14.

The punishment comes just under a week after Brady came under fire for a foul tackle on Dallas safety Malik Hooker during the third quarter, which was initially viewed by eagle-eyed NFL fans, according to NFL’s Ian Rappoport. Network.

Bucs center Ryan Jensen was also fined $8,333.33 on the same play for the same reason.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed that Tom Brady was fined $16,444 on Sunday.

The hefty fine comes after the 45-year-old Brady attempted to ‘slide’ against Cowboys safety Malik Hooker.

Brady’s reckless play was deemed “dirty” by NFL fans after the Bucs’ first-round playoff exit.

On the play, Hooker had recovered a fumble from one of Tampa Bay’s wide receivers, Chris Goodwin, and was on his way upfield when he was finally tackled by Bucs’ wide receiver Julio Jones.

However, on the return, Brady appeared to have dropped to the ground on a ‘sliding tackle’ attempt on the Dallas defender out of frustration.

After the play, the officials overturned the fumble call, but Braddy’s challenge left those watching the 45-year-old’s final postseason game upset, should he confirm rumors of retiring after this season.

The Cowboys were no match for the Bucs, ending Brady’s 23rd NFL season and a rare first-round playoff exit.

This season hasn’t been kind to Brady, to say the least, in the midst of his divorce from Gisele Bündchen.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion hadn’t been knocked out of Wild Card Series play since 2010, when the New England Patriots lost to the Baltimore Ravens.

The following year, Brady and the Patriots were eliminated from the playoffs in the Divisional Round after losing to the New York Jets in 2011 after a bye week.

In 2020, the Tennessee Titans, led by Ryan Tannehill, defeated Brady and the Patriots, in a 20-13 win, over wild card weekend. That turned out to be Brady’s last game for Bill Belichick’s team, as he signed with Tampa Bay in the offseason after that.

The 45-year-old quarterback has been linked with a move to the Las Vegas Raiders (pictured)

Brady has also received suggestions to return to New England to retire as a Patriot, two years after he left.

This season proved to be a laborious one for the three-time league MVP, with injuries proving to be the Bucs’ Achilles heel as the team stumbled through an 8-9 season before an inevitable postseason exit occurred. in the first round.

Brady also experienced being in the spotlight for the wrong reasons far more often than he was used to after his divorce from ex-wife Giselle Bundchen in October, just a month after the start of this season.

The man with the most career quarterback wins is now a free agent following the expiration of his two-year contract with Tampa Bay and has a chance to pick his next destination, should he continue to play.

A return to New England to eventually retire as the Patriots, the team that drafted him in 2000, is on the cards, while speculation also links him to the Los Vegas Raiders and New York Jets.