Anyone following Tom Brady over the years knows the 7x Super Bowl champ’s history with hip-hop icon 50 Cent. Back in January 2019, Brady played 50 Cent’s track “Many Men” in a viral post to shut down his haters and doubters en route to his Super Bowl LIII win with the New England Patriots.
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Then, he played the song to celebrate winning his 7th Championship ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. Despite the connection, his love for early-2000s rap, especially 50 Cent songs, didn’t go as smoothly on live television during FOX’s Sunday NFL broadcast.
While Tom Brady was calling the Week 1 matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field, he broke into the lyrics of a famous 50 Cent song mid-broadcast alongside play-by-play commentator Kevin Burkhard. The unusual moment came as the broadcast team acknowledged and celebrated NFL Rules analyst Dean Blandino’s 55th Birthday (on September 13).
Blandino served as the NFL’s Vice President of Officiating from 2013 to 2017 before joining FOX Sports. Rather than offering a simple birthday wish, Brady chose a different approach, singing the hook of the 2003 track, ‘In Da Club’: “Go Shawty, It’s your birthday.”
Disbelieving fans reacted instantly, with a fan on X questioning, “Did Tom Brady just say, ‘Go shawty, it’s ya birthday’ or am I trippin?” Meanwhile, another asked, “Did tom brady just say “hey shawty it’s your birthday” on live television????”
The bizarre moment quickly became a running joke across social media. Fans found the crossover between a legendary QB like Brady and an officiating executive being serenaded with an old-school hip-hop classic completely unexpected.
“Tom Brady singing “in da club” lyrics In the Eagles/ commanders game to Dan blondino was not on my bingo card,” a fan expressed.
The fact that Tom Brady started singing randomly, made it stand out even more, as a fan pointed, “‘Go shawty, it’s ya birthday.’ – Tom Brady on this broadcast for some reason”
Tom Brady joined FOX facing heavy pressure under a 10-year, $375 million contract that replaced analyst Greg Olsen. That massive figure brings nonstop scrutiny as moments like these make fans question whether Brady is fit enough to be a lead color commentator.
Summing up that frustration bluntly, a fan criticised the former QB, “Tom Brady is not good in the booth.”
However, the 50 Cent lyric wasn’t the only out-of-the-pocket moment from Tom Brady.
“He just drops the ball in there like a butterfly with sore legs,” Brady remarked, praising an accurate deep throw from Eagles QB Jalen Hurts to wideout Dontayvion Wicks. Some viewers noted that the odd phrasing stemmed from an old country-club golf idiom.
One fan pointed out, “Older guy at my country club used to say it about good iron shots.” Another viewer corrected the idiom, writing, “It’s a golf phrase and I’ve heard it used many times (although it was sore feet not sore legs).”
Brady recently pushed back against the media criticism in an interview with Sports Business Journal, calling the ongoing narrative “clickbait for people.”
Brady explained, “They just put it out there in the world and see what sticks,” adding that he focuses on preparation and wants to prove himself throughout his contract. Perhaps not singing 2000’s rap music on a live broadcast would be a good place to start!