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

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

The punishment comes a little less than a week after Brady came under fire for a dirty tackle on Dallas safety Malik Hooker during the third quarter, which was initially spotted by eagle-eye NFL fans, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rappoport. 

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

Ian Rapoport, of the NFL Network, revealed that Tom Brady’s been fined $16,444 on Sunday

The hefty fine comes after Brady, 45, attemped to ‘slide tackle’ Cowboys safety Malik Hooker

Brady’s reckless play was deemed as ‘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 eventually brought down by Bucs receiver Julio Jones. 

However, during the return, Brady seemed to have gone to the ground in an attempt to ‘slide tackle’ the Dallas defender out of frustration.

After the play, the referees overturned the fumble call, but Braddy’s challenge left a distate on those who were potentially watching the 45-year-old’s last postseason game, should he confirm rumors of retiring after this season. 

The Cowboys were not match for the Bucs, bringing an end to Brady’s 23rd NFL season and a rare first-round playoff exit.

This season hasn’t been kind to Brady, to say the least, amid his divorce from Gisele Bündchen

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

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

In 2020, the Tennessee Titans, led by Ryan Tannehill, defeated Brady and the Patriots, in a 20-13 win, during Wild Card Weekend. That turned out to be Brady’s last game for Bill Belichick’s side, 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’s also been tipped to return to New England to retire as a Patriot, two years after his exit

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 to an 8-9 season before an inevitable first-round postseason exit happened. 

Brady’s also experienced being in the spotlight for the wrong reasons far more often than he’s used to following his divorce from his ex-wife Giselle Bundchen in October – barely 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 he has the chance to chose his next destination, should he continue to play.

A return to New England to eventually retire as a Patriot – the team that drafted him in 2000 – is on the cards, while speculation’s also linked him with the Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Jets.