FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady tweeted Thursday night that “ridiculous penalties” in the first half of the Tennessee Titans-Jacksonville Jaguars game led him to turn it off.
I’m turning off this game I can’t watch these ridiculous penalties anymore #TENvsJAC
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) September 20, 2019
Too many penalties. Just let us play!!!! #TENvsJAC
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) September 20, 2019
There were 15 penalties in the first half called by referee Shawn Hochuli’s crew, eight of which were for holding.
The NFL has had an increased emphasis on offensive holding this season. Entering Thursday night, the highest total of holding penalties in a game was 11, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
In Weeks 1-2, there were 178 flags for offensive holding, a 66% increase from the same time period last season. That spike powered a 16.2% increase in total penalties compared to Weeks 1-2 of last season, as well as a slight drop in scoring from 21.97 offensive points per game in 2018 to 20.9 in 2019.
Brady seldom makes waves on league issues and is often complimentary of officiating. His tweets were noted on the television broadcast, with analyst Troy Aikman saying: “Tom Brady is one of the least controversial people we have in our game. He is league loyalty. When he makes a statement like that, that should get somebody’s attention.”
Brady wasn’t the only NFL player noting the officiating on social media, with New York Jets safety Jamal Adams among those referencing Brady’s tweet.
Mood. https://t.co/ULDm8tUB8V
— Jamal Adams (@TheAdamsEra) September 20, 2019
Coincidentally, the Patriots and Jets play each other on Sunday.
Hochuli’s crew threw more flags (306), including 79 for offensive holding, than any other crew in the 2018 season, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert contributed to this report.
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