When you spend 23 years dominating your profession and earn the “greatest of all time” moniker, there will naturally be people waiting for you to stumble when undertaking a new endeavor. If nothing else, such a misstep serves as a reminder that you’re human after all. So when legendary quarterback Tom Brady kicked off his highly anticipated broadcasting career during the Dallas Cowboys-Cleveland Browns game on Sunday, criticism was sure to follow.
NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson was one of the voices calling out Brady during the former quarterback’s first game in the booth. Hanson’s qualm centered around a field goal attempt of all things. The Cowboys appeared poised to send out second-year kicker Brandon Aubrey for a 71-yard field goal attempt just prior to half time. During a timeout Hanson chimed in from the RedZone studio saying, “Oh come on! Brady’s gotta get more excited than that in the booth,” per The Athletic’s Larry Holder.
As it would turn out, Cowboys’ coach Mike McCarthy thought better of trying the ridiculously long field goal and Dallas ended up punting. The following day, Hanson apologized on social media.
“This was unfair & inconsiderate by me. Yes, I was saying it tongue in cheek – but I didn’t calculate how it may come across. Tom Brady, I apologize. I promise I am rooting you on in this new venture,” Hanson wrote on X.
Tom Brady criticized for lack of enthusiasm in broadcast debut
To be fair, a 71-yard field goal would be a new NFL record. And Aubrey had made a kick from a record-tying 66 yards just prior to the controversial moment. However, the 66-yarder was waived off due to a penalty on the Cowboys and after contemplating trying again from five yards back, Dallas opted to punt instead. Aubrey was on fire in the NFL opener with multiple kicks from 50+ and 40+ yards.
Hanson is now in his 16th season as NFL RedZone host and, as you might expect from a talking head who needs to hold an audience’s attention for “Seven hours of commercial-free football,” enthusiasm – feigned or otherwise – is of great importance.
Additionally, Hanson wasn’t the only member of the media who took issue with Brady’s debut in the booth. Bill Simmons offered up a harsh overview of the broadcast and The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand provided some critiques in his own review of Brady.
Fox Sports signed Brady to a 10-year, $375 million contract to join the station as its lead NFL analyst. The deal was actually struck before Brady officially retired from playing football. And, considering his broadcasting salary dwarfs other, highly successful players-turned-analysts, it makes sense that many were waiting for him to face-plant, if only briefly.
Given the GOAT’s work ethic and desire to succeed in all endeavors, it seems likely Brady will rebound from a rocky start and ultimately thrive in his new position.
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