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Tom Brady's confusing 'kick the dog' statement during Sunday's NFL action has elicited a response from one animal rights group as many fans have accused the Fox announcer of encouraging violence against animals.
The offending remark was delivered during the Bears' upset of the visiting Cowboys in Chicago, where Dallas' George Pickens was seen angrily slamming his helmet down on the sidelines.
'And Picks is not happy, yeah, those moments can be… like the dog at home,' Brady said during the Fox broadcast. 'Kick the dog, throw the helmet, whatever it takes.'
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) did not accuse Brady of encouraging animal abuse, but did ask the seven-time Super Bowl champion to be more mindful.
'PETA encourages Brady to remember that millions of people listen to him, that the language we use can encourage kindness or violence towards animals, and that we should never normalize taking our frustration out on a beloved companion,' read the group's statement.
But Brady faced much more anger online, where critics accused him of encouraging animal abuse.
Tom Brady angered some dog lovers and got received a statement from PETA this week
'Tom Brady just promoted animal abuse on national television,' read one angry comment on X.
Many others were left questioning what they'd heard.
'Did Tom Brady just casually admit to animal abuse?' one critic asked.
Another followed: 'Excuse me, Tom Brady? Did he just advocate for animal abuse?'
Fox Sports spokespeople did not respond to Daily Mail's request for comment on Sunday.
Skip Bayless, too, got in on the action, writing: 'I hope Brady didn't go home after bad losses and angrily throw the dog.'
Brady has one dog - Fluffy - that he and ex-wife Gisele Bundchen rescued back in 2016. The couple previously had an old dog Lua - who passed away back in 2023.
At the time, Brady shared a heartbreaking tribute to his beloved pet on Instagram.
'We love you Lua,' Brady wrote, before adding in a separate post. 'Forever in our hearts', as he shared a picture of his children cuddling the dog.
Brady has been Fox Sports' top game analyst since last fall and regularly appears on broadcast when he's not preoccupied with his role as Las Vegas Raiders minority owner.
The dueling roles have sparked debate in recent weeks as critics have complained about the dangers of giving a rival owner media access to the league's other 31 teams.
Brady previously had a pitbull mix named Lua, who passed away in late 2023
Recently, ex-Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce claimed Brady has long been aiding the team with extra information.
'Tom Brady is the elite of the elite, one of the greatest quarterbacks, one of the greatest players in the game, played against him obviously, student of the game,' Pierce told Adam Schein on his Mad Dog Sports Radio show on SiriusXM.
'It's not hard for him to watch a few things on a Friday practice or hear things in a production meeting and be like, 'Hmm,' and have tidbits.
'And you'd be foolish enough to think that he's not gonna share that with the Raiders because we had those conversations about certain things. He was very informative about things that he knew or he felt and that's why you bring a guy like Tom Brady into your organization to be a minority owner.'
However, Pierce, now a CBS analyst, admitted he wouldn't feel comfortable to be on the other side of the dilemma.
'I would be nervous,' Pierce admitted to Schein. 'I think I would be tight lipped, which I think most head coaches are when they go into production meetings. They watch it. I think on Fridays, if he happens to be there on a Friday practice, you might want to limit some things. I just think that's a fact.'
