It is becoming something of a trend online to cry foul play every time Tom Brady gets awarded a penalty. And Sunday’s game was no different. Fans take to social media to talk about what one can only describe as a controversial call from the referees. Instead, fans opined that the referees in the NFL have a kind of bias towards the 45-year-old quarterback. But it seems the myth is finally at its end.

Sunday’s outrage comes after a bad call in the 4th quarter. Referee Jerome Boger calls a ‘roughing the passer’ foul on Atlanta Falcons‘ defensive linesman Grady Jarrett after he sacks Brady. The issue is, replays from every possible angle show that the sack is as clean as they get and that Brady’s head never touches the defender or the ground. But nevertheless, they made the call. And what would have been a 4th down punt for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers turned out to be an automatic first down. The Falcons lost the game 21-15.

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Boger tried to justify his call after the game, saying, “What I had, was the defender grabbed the quarterback while he was still in the pocket, and unnecessarily [threw] him to the ground. That is what I was [basing] my decision … upon.”
And when the question came to whether they made such a decision keeping the Tua Tagovailoa incident in mind, he said, “No, not necessarily.”  

The conspiracy mills start their journey from one crucial aspect of the call: they made it after Brady protested the sack. But Brady did not defend Boger’s call. On the podcast ‘Let’s Go!’, he quips, “I don’t throw the flags, I just throw tablets.”

Fans defend Tom Brady against “preferential treatment” accusations

It seems that some fans in the NFL community have taken it upon themselves to defend the 7-time Super Bowl winner. ProFootballFocus sent out a part of their research into ‘roughing the passer’ calls made in the last decade. And the result paints a picture in stark contrast to the claims being made.

Other fans followed suit, and some came up with their own research findings. Although for some, their credibility is sometimes under question. But the pattern remains strong, and the narrative stays the same.

With 23 seasons in the NFL, Brady will definitely expect to have haters amongst the tons of fans he has garnered. And it is these so-called haters who claim Brady to be “protected” by referees in the NFL. But every once in a while, every conspiracy must be given a reality check, and that’s exactly what happened this time. Will the claims of “preferential treatment” subside after this forceful show? Or will it rise again, given the chance?

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