People who believe the NFL bends over backwards to protect its star players -- and Tom Brady, in particular -- might point to Sunday's Patriots-Redskins game as Exhibit A.
On NFL Network
"NFL Replay" will re-air
the Patriots' 34-27 win over the Redskins on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. ET.
With his Patriots trailing 20-17 late in the second quarter, Brady pulled down the ball and attempted to scramble for the first-down marker deep in Redskins territory. Washington linebacker London Fletcher -- a 14-year veteran and one of the league's more-respected players -- initiated contact with Brady as the quarterback went into a slide at the 20-yard line.
Brady went into his slide late, making him fair game for contact. But referee Jeff Triplette saw Fletcher's hit as illegal, flagging the veteran for unnecessary roughness because of a "forearm to the head."
Replays clearly show that Fletcher's forearm didn't make any contact with Brady's helmet.
While conspiracy theorists will use this as further evidence of a covert NFL operation to keep its signature star upright, it's far more likely that Triplette simply missed the call. These things can happen, though that won't make Fletcher and the Redskins feel any better.
