Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady broke two tablets out of frustration during last Sunday’s victory over the New Orleans Saints, sources told ESPN.
A third tablet also was stepped on and broken on the Buccaneers’ sideline, sources said, leaving Tampa Bay short of tablets and wide receivers against the Saints.
Brady apologized on social media for breaking one tablet and joked about it during his Monday night radio appearance with Jim Gray, but the seven-time Super Bowl champion didn’t mention the second tablet.
“I’ve had a pretty bad record against that tablet, unfortunately,” Brady told Gray. “I think I forgot the password and I couldn’t log in, so those things can be frustrating.
“Unfortunately, the tablet just happens to get in the way, and obviously that’s the reason things weren’t going great [against the Saints], so I had to take it out on the poor meaningless tablet.”
It was the second time in four regular-season games against the Saints in which Brady has thrown a tablet. In Week 15 last season, the Buccaneers were shut out 9-0 at home — Tampa Bay’s first shutout since 2012 — and Brady tossed one.
Between breaking the tablets and suffering an injury to the ring finger on his throwing hand that affected him at practice, Brady had a challenging week ahead of Sunday’s showdown against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
The Buccaneers added Brady to their injury report Friday, but the three-time league MVP is expected to play.
Brady, 45, will be short-handed again at wide receiver, as the Buccaneers will be without Mike Evans (suspension), Chris Godwin (hamstring) and Julio Jones (knee) against the Packers. Breshad Perriman (knee) and Russell Gage (hamstring) are active for Tampa Bay, which elevated newcomer Cole Beasley from the practice squad Saturday.
With the shortage of receivers against Green Bay’s secondary, Brady jokingly hinted he might end up tossing another tablet.
“I’m trying to make sure I don’t throw my arm out when I throw it, but I was pretty pissed [against the Saints],” Brady told Gray. “Until I get it right, I’m going to keep doing it. Obviously with repetition being the key to success, I got to get the perfect tablet slam, which I haven’t gotten yet. Tune in next week to see if it happens.”