Tom Brady Fans Flip After He Seemingly Says the ‘N-Word’ on Camera, But Here’s What He Really Said

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady learned on Sunday that what he says is often not what is heard. The perfect example of this came when he greeted former Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed in the tunnel heading toward the field. For many fans, it appeared that Brady uttered the N-word to his former foe.

“Oh, man, they’ve got to bring you here?” Brady said as he walked toward Reed. “They know you’re my Kryptonite.” At that moment, there were many on social media that thought Brady used a racial slur as he hugged Reed.

However, as the closed captioning showed, this isn’t what Brady actually uttered. In fact, the full statement was “They know you’re my Kryptonite, and they’ve got to bring you back.”

Interestingly enough, the reactions were split on whether or not Brady used the racist term. Some viewers clearly heard the N-word while others knew that the Patriots QB is innocent. In reality, the combination of “Kryptonite” and “and they’ve” quickly said together is what caused many to hear this word.

“I am not tripping, Tom Brady said the n-word on live tv. heard something like ‘come here my kryptonite n***’ to Ed Reed,” one of many users wrote on Twitter after seeing this moment air on NBC. The prevailing belief on Sunday night was that the Patriots QB had truly thrown out the racial slur, but there were many others that knew this wasn’t the case.

“We all know he didn’t but man I wanted this joke to last forever…” one Twitter user wrote in response to the various videos and comments about Brady.

While many truly believed Brady had used the racial slur while talking to Reed, there is one substantial piece of evidence that makes this unlikely. The former Ravens safety in Reed has used his fame as a platform to raise social awareness about police brutality, racism, and social injustice. It’s less likely that he would let Brady saying the N-word slide.

Interestingly enough, there were some fans on social media that were less concerned about what Brady actually said. Instead, they were far more focused on the fact that the Patriots QB had walked toward the field with the referees. There has long been a belief that officials prefer to make calls in favor of the Patriots and Brady, and this video only added to that belief.

(Photo Credit: Todd Olszewski/Getty)