Tom Brady flipped out at Ravens, refs because someone scratched his eyeball
Getting poked in the eye is infuriating in any context, but especially in the middle of an NFL playoff game.
Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Tom Brady has spent a lot of time being angry this season. He has been surly at the press conference podium, dropped F-bombs when the Patriots' defense can't get a stop, and at times resembled a wounded prehistoric creature filled with rage. Nothing quite sets Brady off like getting poked in the eye, however.
Last Sunday, Brady became heated after taking a sack in the second quarter. He yelled at Ravens players and referees indiscriminately. At one point, he was nearly nose-to-nose with an official. After the game, Brady answered questions with a bloodshot right eye. He revealed Thursday that the eye and the histrionics were related. Brady apparently took a finger to the eyeball from defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan after the sack.
You can see what happened in the GIF below. Brady gets up from the sack apparently mad about taking a knee to the head from Pernell McPhee. As he’s arguing, Jernigan’s hand reaches out from the scrum and appears to take a swipe at Brady’s face. Brady then becomes irate:
Q: How is that affecting you? Didn’t seem like it at the end of the game.
Brady: No, it was good. It was just part of the tussle of football. Everyone deals with obviously different things, so this one is nothing fortunately.
Q: Was it on the quarterback sneak?
Brady: No, it was when I was arguing with that guy and then he poked me in the eye, and I was trying to yell at the ref. I said, ‘He just poked me in the eye!’ He obviously didn’t see it.
Q: In the scrum or afterwards?
Brady: Afterwards.
Q: Sort of like an old professional wrestling move?
Brady: It’s a good move, the eye gouge. You can’t even do that in professional wrestling.
If there is lesson to be learned from this, it's don't make Brady mad. He would go on to lead the Patriots back from a 14-point third quarter deficit, and finish 33-for-50 passing for 367 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
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