Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is not a fan of the direction in which the NFL is headed. Although he was known during his Patriots tenure for being able to avoid heavy hits by getting rid of the ball quickly, Brady still feels that the league may be going a bit overboard with rules put in place to help protect players in recent years.

Recently, Brady appeared on his “Let's Go!” podcast to discuss the issue of officiating and how it has changed over the years.

“Football is a physical sport, there's a physical element to all of this,” said Brady. “You throw a 15-yard flag for something that, you know, 20 years ago maybe wouldn't have had a flag. That affects the game in a big way.”

Although Tom Brady long drew the ire of opposing fanbases for his propensity to draw roughing the passer flags on minimal at best contact, it seems overall he is not a fan of referees interjecting themselves into the game too heavily. In recent seasons, more rules than ever have been implemented with a focus on player safety, which has severely reduced the amount of heavy hits that fans are accustomed to seeing.

In fact, the Super Bowl itself last year was essentially sealed for the Kansas City Chiefs with a controversial holding call on the Philadelphia Eagles defense that allowed the Chiefs to drain most of the remaining time in the game.

Brady, for his part, seems to want the game to return to the old days.