Tom Brady is brutally snubbed as NFL legend suffers awkward exchange with Fox analyst during heavily-criticized broadcasting debut
Tom Brady was probably feeling nervous when he first stepped into the broadcast booth on Sunday afternoon. An awkward radio conversation with one of his new colleagues certainly didn’t ease his tension.
The Cleveland Browns’ season opener against the Dallas Cowboys marked the beginning of the 47-year-old’s 10-year, $375 million deal as Fox Sports’ lead NFL analyst.
Brady’s debut as an announcer, however, did not go smoothly. In addition to being pummeled in the booth for the first time, the former quarterback made a blunder on the radio.
Brady and Kevin Burkhardt, who was covering the Cowboys-Browns game, were in the booth along with Mike Pereira, a longtime NFL rules analyst for the network.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner and Pereira exchanged a painful exchange in the first half of the Cowboys’ victory when Brady attempted to get a “fist bump” from the analyst.
Tom Brady began his career as an analyst at Fox alongside Kevin Burkhardt (left) on Sunday
The former quarterback was left in the lurch by rules analyst Mike Pereira (left) during the game
Burkhardt welcomed Pereira to the broadcast and said it was “good to have you back,” at which point Brady turned to the analyst and raised his fist.
Pereira, however, rebuffed Brady’s attempt at camaraderie, with the NFL legend pleading, “Come on, don’t leave me!” Pereira eventually responded to his words, though he was anything but enthusiastic.
Pereira has been with Fox since 2010 in his role as an NFL and college football rules analyst, providing insight into any game situation, decision or circumstance that warrants an interpretation or explanation of the rules.
Pereira, a former NFL vice president of refereeing, retired in 2009 after 14 years.
It wasn’t the only humiliation Brady had to endure on Sunday night, as his debut was criticized online by NFL fans.
During his illustrious career on the field, Brady was named league MVP three times and Super Bowl MVP five times, the most of any player.
His biggest accolades — seven Super Bowl rings — are also the most of any player in league history.
But it seemed his qualities on the football field were not reflected in the studio, as many fans were quick to criticize Brady’s debut behind the microphone.
Pereira eventually returned the seven-time Super Bowl winner’s fist pump
Brady was criticized by NFL fans on social media for his debut as a host on Fox
Within 20 minutes of the NFL legend announcing his opening act, social media users on X, formerly known as Twitter, were already calling him “terrible.”
“Tom Brady hasn’t stuttered this much since he told Gisele he had one more year,” one user wrote, referencing the former quarterback’s decision to come out of retirement and play one more season in the NFL, just months before his divorce from supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
“Maybe someone should have listened to Tom Brady before spending $300 million on him,” another scathingly wrote, while another echoed the criticism, adding, “Tom Brady can’t seem to form a single sentence that has any kind of normal rhythm.”
“Tom Brady just said it’s hard to get 10 yards, but really hard to get 20. That’s what $375 million in analytics gets you,” someone joked.
Others agreed, finding Brady’s analysis boring. For example, one user wrote, “Tom Brady must be really interesting to listen to because his voice is not exactly pleasant to listen to. And so far, it isn’t.”