Tom Brady made a surprising admission about the “Tuck Rule Game” that launched him to becoming the GOAT. On social media, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback revealed that he may have fumbled in the playoff game against the Oakland Raiders (now Las Vegas Raiders) in 2002. The video went viral and even the Raiders responded to Brady’s admission.
“The Tuck Rule game against the Raiders might have been a fumble,” Brady said while looking around to see if anyone is around to make sure nobody is listening. In the tweet, Brady wrote. “I said might. Such a tough call. No choice but to respect the officials probably correct decision.” The play happened during the Patriots-Riders AFC 2001 Divisional Playoff game. Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson tackled Brady, causing him to fumble and the Raiders recovered the football. But after officials reviewed the play it was determined that Brady was in a throwing motion and attempting to “tuck” the ball towards his body.
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The play was ruled an incomplete pass and the Patriots went on to beat the Raiders and eventually win the Super Bowl. Had that play been a fumble, the Raiders would have held on to win, and there’s no telling what Brady’s legacy would be. As mentioned by CBS Sports, the Tuck Rule states “When [an offensive] player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his arm starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body.”
The play has been debated for the last 20 years, and ESPN even produced a documentary where Brady and Woodson watched the play from the living room of Brady’s home. “Our tact was, ‘It’s not really about the tuck itself,’” NFL Films executive Ken Rodgers said to USA Today in January. “It starts and ends with the two men involved. So our very first request, our very first idea, our core of the film was, ‘This film has to be based around Tom Brady and Charles Woodson reliving that moment together,’ which we knew they had never done.” Brady went on to play in eight more Super Bowls for the Patriots while winning five of them. He also won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers during the 2020 season.
