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Tom Brady couldn't believe what was happening during an eventual loss at Raymond James Stadium in Week 15 at the hands of the New Orleans Saints, and nothing felt his wrath more than his Microsoft Surface. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback sent his tablet flying at one point during the shutout, and he didn't think much of it after it was all said and done. Brady was more concerned with having been swept by the Saints in the regular season for a second consecutive season, but the NFL's front office wanted a word about his sideline throw.
Speaking on his "Let's Go!" podcast with Jim Gray on SiriusXM, Brady admitted he got a call from New York.
"I did get a warning from the NFL," he said, via ESPN. "I can't throw another Surface or else I get fined. Imagine that. Imagine that."
The 🐐's first shut out in 15 years and the tablet felt the full force! Brady was scoreless against the @Saints. The last time Brady didn't score in an NFL game he was 29!#NFL | #NFLUK pic.twitter.com/Y6gGLF79O2
That said, Brady feels he did Microsoft a favor by frisbeeing the device.
"I won't throw another Surface," Brady said. "Although I think it was pretty good marketing for the Surface at the end of the day. I think it worked out pretty well for them."
The toss went viral and was fueled that much more online when Saints safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson chimed in, trolling Brady by reaching out to Microsoft's and Surface's official Twitter accounts after the 9-0 victory with a very specific request.
"Hey can y'all send me a new Surface Tablet? I need to give it to a friend who broke his," tweeted Gardner-Johnson along with a blushing smirk emoji. "Thank you and Merry Christmas."
He actually garnered a reply from Microsoft Support who, in a now-deleted tweet, joined in on the playful ribbing.
"We've reviewed the tape and while we don't recommend throwing your @surface (even if your friend holds the NFL record for career completions), here are some tips on caring for your Surface," they wrote.
Brady has since taken out his angst on the Carolina Panthers with a 32-6 beatdown at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday, but you can bet he won't be victimizing another tablet any time soon. Then again, should he choose to, we'll all discover just how much the NFL loves their exclusive tablet relationship with Microsoft (the deal itself is worth $400 million) -- because Brady will be forced to break out the checkbook. He's not the first angry player to do something unfriendly to the device, but the NFL wants him to be the last.
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