Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed said that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has reached out to him to apologize for making contact with him on a slide late in the first half of the AFC Championship Game. The NFL said Tuesday the incident was under review for possible discipline.
“I told him — you know, we talked,” Reed told WJZ-FM in Baltimore. “We talked actually not too long ago; we talked on the phone. He actually reached out to me, texted me. I tried to text him back, but the message exploded after 12 seconds, so I had to call him … and he just apologized and what not. But I told him, ‘You know, it’s good, man.’ ”
During the final minute of the first half, Brady slid to the ground to end an impromptu run. The quarterback had one leg raised a few feet off the ground and it hit Reed, who emerged from the play without injury.
Reed said at the time of the incident, he did not say anything to Brady.
League spokesman Greg Aiello said Tuesday that “any play of that nature is routinely reviewed.”
“For the most part, I didn’t say anything to him when he said something to me at the game,” he said. “… He was going, ‘You want to play like that, let’s go.’ But, no, Brady’s a great competitor and I love going against him and I know where his heart is at for this game. It was all good.”
The nine-time Pro Bowl safety added that he has respect for Brady.
“I know he’s a great player,” he said. “I respect Brady and his game for all it stands for, and I know he’s not a dirty player. And emotions get going in the game.”
Ravens safety Bernard Pollard has publicly complained and asserted the quarterback deserves to be fined by the NFL, which levies fines on defensive players for helmet-to-helmet hits.
Pollard said Monday, “If you want to keep this going in the right direction, everyone should be penalized for their actions.”
He said Brady “knew what he was doing. It has to go both ways. Hopefully, the NFL will do something about it. If they don’t, that’s fine. If they do, then that’s fine.”
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