TAMPA, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 04: Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates after defeating the Los Angeles Chargers after a game at Raymond James Stadium on October 04, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
In his broadcasting debut for Fox on Sunday, Tom Brady received a less-than-warm welcome from St. Louis fans during the UFL championship game.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion was on hand to present the MVP trophy to Birmingham Stallions quarterback Adrian Martinez following their 25-0 victory over the San Antonio Brahmas. But the crowd loudly booed Brady when he took the field.
The animosity dates back to the Patriots’ upset win over the heavily favored St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002. Brady was an unproven 24-year-old at the time, leading New England to a stunning 20-17 victory.
Before the UFL game, Brady chatted on the field with Kurt Warner, who quarterbacked the Rams in that Super Bowl loss. Some, including Warner, have questioned the legitimacy of the Patriots’ win after the franchise was later implicated in the Spygate scandal for videotaping opposing teams’ signals.
“It added a sliver of doubt,” said Warner, now an analyst for NFL Network.
Brady joined the Fox broadcast in the second quarter and criticized the lack of a vertical passing attack from both teams in the scoreless game at that point.
The polarizing reaction is likely something the 45-year-old will have to get used to when he becomes Fox’s top NFL analyst this fall. Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million contract with the network in May after retiring from the NFL.
His first assignment will be the Week 1 matchup between the Browns and Cowboys in Cleveland on Sept. 8 alongside play-by-play partner Kevin Burkhardt.
With a Hall of Fame career that included six Super Bowl titles with the Patriots and one with the Buccaneers, Brady tormented fan bases across the league for over two decades. Those intense rivalries are carrying over to the broadcast booth.
Brady recently honored his ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen, after she reportedly became furious that he laughed at jokes about their marriage and kids at his Netflix roast while becoming visibly upset at jokes about the Patriots’ owner, Robert Kraft.
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