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Tom Brady admitted he wasn't happy about the $16,444 fine the NFL handed him over his tackle attempt on Malik Hooker during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys wild-card round game. After Bucs wide receiver Chris Godwin fumbled the ball, Cowboys safety Hooker attempted to return the fumble.
That was when Brady came on the scene as he appeared to slide at Hooker's legs in his attempt to tackle him. The officiating crew later overturned what was initially called a fumble but the NFL still decided to fine Brady because they felt that it was a dirty play.
On his Let's Go podcast, Brady addressed the NFL's decision to fine him.
Brady on being handed a hefty fine by the NFL
"I tried to tackle him with my right shoulder and missed him. And I wasn't going to try to stick my arm out, so I was trying to get him on the ground.
I tried to get him on the ground and I missed him. Completely! I didn't even hit him. I tried to trip him, but I didn't! So I don’t know how you can get fined for something that didn’t even happen. Are they finding an intention? It’s like targeting and you missed the person you hit and they still call it targeting.
I gotta figure out and understand why this is the case. This is why I wish our NFLPA was stronger," Brady said on the Let's Go podcast, per Sports Illustrated. Brady and the Buccaneers didn't enjoy a long postseason run after suffering a 31-14 loss to the Cowboys on their home field in the wild-card round.
Now, 45-year-old Brady has some decisions to make as he is set to be a free agent in the offseason. After the Buccaneers' season ended, Brady said he plans to take some time before making a call on his NFL future.