When it comes to being vocal about expressing his views about referees’ calls, the former New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, never shied away. Years after hanging up his boots, the 7x Super Bowl champion shared how he was never in a weak spot when it came to calling out referees. Yet then, he had to accept the fate at times. One such moment made it onto his list of worst memories.
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“Listen, I never cried to the refs,” shared Brady on the FOX Sports podcast. “Don’t talk shit to me because I got the microphone and I can talk back. The catch on the field has been confirmed on the David Tyree catch. Yeah, that was the worst, worst thing I could have ever imagined.”
February 3, 2008, marked one of the most stunning moments in NFL history when David Tyree made an improbable catch to help the New York Giants upset the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. With just one minute and 15 seconds left on the clock, New England was ahead 14-10 and stood on the brink of becoming the NFL’s first undefeated champion since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. The Giants faced third-and-5 from their own 44 when Eli Manning escaped a collapsing pocket, shrugging off several pass rushers, including one who had hold of his jersey, before throwing a deep pass downfield.
Tyree, an unheralded backup receiver, leaped between Patriots safety Rodney Harrison and the ball’s intended target area, trapping the football against his helmet for a 32-yard gain at the New England 24. No penalty flag was called by the refs on that play. The Giants capitalized four plays later with a touchdown, securing a 17-14 win. The victory stunned a Patriots team that had won every regular-season game and ended its hopes of a perfect campaign and a fourth championship in seven seasons.
The defeat left a bitter taste in Brady’s mouth for a long time. So much so that he and Manning had a fun exchange on social media, years later in 2024, over their fishing photos.
Manning initiated the playful exchange with a photo showing him holding a fish that dwarfed Brady’s “cute minnow.”
“You use a helmet to catch that one too?” Brady then countered with a question that brought up Tyree’s legendary helmet catch from Super Bowl XLII.
Even though it was a friendly exchange, that game still bothered the 7x Super Bowl champion. During a Verizon Access Mailbag segment on the FOX Sports podcast, Brady was asked whether he would change a particular throw from his illustrious career. Brady had his answer ready.
“Yes. Whenever the ‘Do you wish you could’ve done something different in your NFL career,’ [question gets asked], it comes back to one game: the Super Bowl against the Giants,” he said.
A comeback to tie the game appeared unlikely, but Brady came close to getting the Patriots into field goal range. It was then that he made the throw he regrets most from his career.
“Late in the game, Randy Moss got behind the defense and I threw the ball one yard short,” Brady said. “It was probably the furthest throw of my career. Roll to the right, and I threw it back across the field to Randy. Randy had the defender beat, and if I put it out there one more yard, he probably catches that, we kick the field goal and go to overtime. Maybe we win in overtime, but that would be the one. It’s worse than sad.”
From their own 16-yard line, the Patriots faced third-and-20 when Brady launched a deep pass toward Randy Moss, sending it roughly 65 yards downfield. A successful completion could have brought New England into the red zone with a little over 10 seconds remaining.
Instead, the play remains one of the “worst” moments in Brady’s career.