Tom Brady appealing NFL fine for attempted trip of Cowboys safety: ‘I missed him’

Tom Brady is undecided on his future after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were bounced from the NFL playoffs by the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round. 

The 45-year-old will take his time in deciding if he will come back for a 24th NFL season following a year of struggles on and off the field. 

However, while the seven-time Super Bowl champion is unsure of his future, he is sure that he will appeal the NFL’s reported $16,444 fine for his attempted trip of Cowboys safety Malik Hooker during Tampa Bay’s playoff loss. 

TOM BRADY FINED FOR SLIDE-TACKLE ATTEMPT DURING PLAYOFF LOSS: REPORT

“It’s already been appealed, so I don’t know if I can say anything in advance of my appeal decision. But we’ll see what happens after I appeal it,” Brady said on the latest episode of the “Let’s Go!” podcast.  

“I tried to tackle him with my right shoulder and missed him,” Brady continued. “And I wasn’t going to try to stick my arm out, so I was trying to get him on the ground. I tried to get him on the ground and I missed him. Completely. I didn’t even hit him. I tried to trip him, but I didn’t.

“So I don’t know how you can get fined for something that didn’t even happen. Are they fining an intention? It’s like targeting, and you missed the person you hit, and they still call it targeting. I gotta figure out and understand why this is the case. This is why I wish our NFLPA was stronger.”

The attempted trip occurred in the second half against Dallas when Tampa Bay wide receiver Chris Godwin appeared to fumble the ball after a nine-yard catch. 

Brady appeared to attempt a slide tackle on Hooker, missing the Cowboys’ safety. 

On the podcast, Brady was asked whether he has a timeline for making a decision on the 2023 NFL season. 

“If I knew what I was going to f—ing do, I would’ve already f—ing done it,” he told sportscaster Jim Gray on the podcast. “I’m taking it a day at a time.”

Brady will become a free agent in March for just the second time in his NFL career. 

There are reportedly several NFL teams interested in his services should Brady choose to continue playing outside of Tampa Bay. 

“Among the teams that would consider Brady, a couple of them who considered Brady the last time,” NFL insider Ian Rapoport said earlier in January. “The Tennessee Titans still have some quarterback questions there. The 49ers, if they do not decide to rock with Brock Purdy – he’s certainly stating his case. And the Las Vegas Raiders, who have several of his old friends, including Josh McDaniels.”

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report