TAMPA, Fla. — Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady not only went viral when he threw his Microsoft Surface tablet in Tampa Bay’s Week 15 shutout loss to the New Orleans Saints — he also got a warning from the NFL.
“I did get a warning from the NFL,” Brady said with chuckle on his “Let’s Go!” podcast with Jim Gray on SiriusXM on Monday night. “I can’t throw another Surface or else I get fined. Imagine that! Imagine that.”
Brady apologized for the incident, which he said was done out of frustration after he threw an interception late in the fourth quarter. It rendered the device useless and required a replacement.
“I won’t throw another Surface,” Brady said. “Although I think it was pretty good marketing for the Surface at the end of the day. I think it worked out pretty well for them.”
The NFL didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Brady’s remarks.
The Saints won 9-0, giving Brady his first shutout loss in 15 seasons.
To add insult to the (tablet’s unfortunate) injury, in a tweet that has since been deleted, Saints’ safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson posted, “Hey @Microsoft @surface, can y’all send me a new Surface Tablet? I need to give it to a friend who broke his. Thank you and Merry Christmas.”
Microsoft Service and Support responded, “We’ve reviewed the tape and while we don’t recommend throwing your @surface (even if your friend holds the NFL record for career completions),” and included a link for tips on caring for the tablet.
The NFL has been using the Microsoft Surface as its exclusive tablet since 2014, a deal that cost Microsoft $400 million.