Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) talks with referee Shawn Smith (left) and umpire Bryan Neale (92). Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady reveals what he says to refs before games

By Max Steele | Last updated 12/14/22

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has choice words for referees before games, too.

"I usually start by apologizing pregame. I say, 'Look, I'm an a--hole out there. You know me. I'm going to say a lot of sh--. Don't take it personal,'" Brady said on his "Let's Go!" podcast.

Brady's favorite emotion on the field is anger.

"If you see me in a good mood in a game, it's a bad moment," he said.

This season, the 45-year-old QB has often berated referees, teammates and abused Microsoft Surface Pro tablets. Brady has never played on a mediocre NFL team like this season's Bucs (6-7), so his actions aren't surprising.

In Sunday's 35-7 beatdown by the 49ers. Brady endured a no-call throat grab by San Francisco linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair that ticked him off.

Brady can get put in a chokehold with no call... #TBvsSF pic.twitter.com/OjkkidQMtQ
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) December 11, 2022

"The only thing you think in that moment is, 'I just got hit in the throat!' [The referee] didn't get hit in throat, you did. They can't understand sometimes. If you're a ref, just chill out," Brady said.

Some argue that Brady is the most protected quarterback in the league. In 2009, the NFL even enacted a new rule — nicknamed the "Brady Rule" — to protect QBs from low hits.

On his podcast, Brady admitted that the NFL is getting "a little softer than it used to be."

But that doesn't mean he's going to stop verbally abusing refs on the field anytime soon.

More must-reads: