Scott Hanson made a very lighthearted comment about Tom Brady during the legendary quarterback’s regular-season debut in the FOX broadcast booth on Sunday, but some people clearly took it the wrong way.
Brady called the Dallas Cowboys-Cleveland Browns game alongside play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt. At one point during the first half, it looked like Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was going to let kicker Brandon Aubrey attempt a 71-yard field goal. Brady, presumably just as surprised as the rest of us, asked “71?” in a confused tone before noting that the Cowboys needed to be careful in case the kick came up short and the Browns had a chance at returning it.
That led to Hanson, who is the well-known host of NFL RedZone, needling Brady and saying the seven-time Super Bowl champion has “gotta get more excited than that in the booth.”
Scott Hanson did not think Tom Brady was excited enough for Brandon Aubrey's 71-yard field goal attempt.
Aubrey just hit from 66 but it was called off due to a delay of game. The Cowboys decided against the 71-yard try after the time-out.pic.twitter.com/EEHr1bWnRn
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 8, 2024
Though Hanson was clearly just messing around, many people took his remark as a serious criticism of Brady, who is very much a rookie announcer. On Monday, Hanson took to social media to apologize to Brady.
“This was unfair & inconsiderate by me. Yes, I was saying it tongue in cheek — but I didn’t calculate how it may come across. @TomBrady, I apologize. I promise I am rooting you on in this new venture!” Hanson wrote on X.
This was unfair & inconsiderate by me. Yes, I was saying it tongue in cheek – but I didn’t calculate how it may come across. @TomBrady, I apologize.
I promise I am rooting you on in this new venture! https://t.co/heyRJga8gC— Scott Hanson (@ScottHanson) September 9, 2024
There was really no need for the apology. Anyone who was watching knew that Hanson was not serious with the critique, and we highly doubt Brady was offended.
Brady drew some mixed reviews in his FOX debut, which was expected. He had one very awkward moment in the booth with rules analyst Mike Pereira, but his day seemed pretty uneventful overall. That is probably part of the reason so many people overreacted to Hanson’s sarcastic commentary.
