Tom Brady, lead referee respond to criticism over controversial roughing the passer call vs Falcons

Many fans were perplexed Sunday after Falcons defensive lineman Grady Jarrett was called for roughing the passer against Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. On the play in question, Brady had not released the ball and it appeared to be a routine sack with no malicious intent.

The penalty occurred on third down with 3:03 remaining and the Falcons trailing 21-15, preventing Atlanta from getting the ball back and having a chance to win. After the game, Tom Brady weighed in on the roughing the passer call with a short tongue-in-cheek comment.

“I don’t throw the flags,” he said.

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I still can’t believe this call! pic.twitter.com/OyPilpNY3H

— Darius Butler (@DariusJButler) October 9, 2022

The Athletic’s Greg Auman spoke with lead referee Jerome Boger postgame to attempt to get an explanation on why the flag was thrown. However, his answer offered little clarity.

“What I had was the defender grabbed the quarterback while he was still in the pocket, and unnecessarily throwing him to the ground,” Boger said. “That is what I was making my decision based upon.”

Boger was also asked whether the play that injured Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in Week 4, which appeared similar to Jarrett’s sack, had any effect on the call. However, he responded that that was “not necessarily” the case.

According to the NFL rulebook, whether or not the passer has released the ball is just a “guideline” for whether to call roughing the passer. However, it can also be called while a pass is being thrown.

“When tackling a passer who is in a defenseless posture (e.g., during or just after throwing a pass), a defensive player must not unnecessarily or violently throw him down,” the rule states.

It will be interesting to see whether the NFL comments any further on the penalty in the coming weeks.

Brady finished the game 35-of-52 passing for 351 yards and a touchdown as the Buccaneers went on to win 21-15 and improve to 3-2 on the season. They will move on to face Pittsburgh next Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.