Roughing the passer call on Tom Brady is slammed as the ‘WORST EVER’ by fans and ex-players and some even claim veteran referee Jerome Boger should be fired for the ‘disgusting, horrific’ decision as Buccaneers go on to beat Falcons by six
The Buccaneers beat the Falcons Sunday after a highly contentious roughing the passer call on Tom Brady, and Twitter was rife with criticism for the decision when it was made in the fourth quarter.
Brady and Tampa Bay led the Falcons 21-15 with just over three minutes remaining when he was sacked by Grady Jarrett for a loss of 10 yards on third down.
The play would have forced Tampa Bay to punt, and would have given the ball back to Atlanta with a chance to take the lead with a touchdown.
Tom Brady threw for 351 yards and a touchdown in the 21-15 win over the Falcons Sunday
Instead, Jarrett’s seemingly routine sack was flagged for roughing the passer, which gave the Bucs a new set of downs and advanced them 15 yards.
From there, the Falcons never touched the ball again as Brady and the Bucs ran the clock out, but the controversial call was far from forgotten online.
‘The Falcons got ROBBED,’ said former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III. ‘Hitting the QB hard does not equal Roughing the Passer even if it’s Tom Brady.’
Ex-pros were full of criticism for the game-changing call on Brady as the Bucs went on to win
‘What a horrendous roughing the passer call against Atlanta. Awful awful awful,’ former Chiefs and Browns offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz said.
‘Tom Brady roughing the passer call is the worst of the season,’ Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter said.
The call also received extensive flak from those without NFL playing experience.
‘Make it less obvious you’re trying to help out Brady please @NFLOfficiating,’ another cracked.
One account took to social media to brand the call a ‘disgrace to the league’ in strong criticism.
Another joked: ‘Silly, Grady Jarrett. You know you can’t touch Tom Brady. That’s roughing the passer!’
Football fans also criticized the call in addition to former pros as they slammed the ‘disgrace’
Some even went as far as to call for referee Jerome Boger to be fired or suspended for the call.
One football fan account posted: ‘This is absolutely the worst roughing the passer call I’ve seen in a long long time. Absolute joke to screw over the Falcons like this just to baby Brady. These refs should be suspended.’
‘Disgusting, horrific roughing the passer call. Jerome Boger should be fired and banned from all levels of football. Truly horrendous,’ another account said.
Sports director Zach Klein added: ‘Calling this ‘roughing the passer’ on Grady Jarrett with the game on the line is a fireable offense’
Some social media users even called for the referee to be suspended or fired for the call
Boger defended the call after the game to a pool reporter.
‘What I had was a defender grabbed the quarterback while he was still in the pocket and unnecessarily throwing him to the ground. That is what I was making my decision based upon,’ he said.
The close win brought Brady and the Bucs to a 3-2 record on the season, while the Falcons fell to 2-3.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
