Tom Brady might as well have practiced his touchdown spike when he smashed a Microsoft Surface tablet into the ground Sunday night during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game against the Saints. Visibly frustrated after an incomplete pass, the quarterback threw his helmet on the field and stormed back to the sidelines where he tossed the tablet.
The Buccs lost when Brady threw the tablet, but they eventually came back and defeated the Saints 20-10. This isn’t Brady’s first documented case of tablet abuse — he threw the thing so hard against the bench after losing a Saints game last year that it actually bounced.
Microsoft Surface chief Panos Panay responded to the incident on his Instagram story this time he said, “Don’t worry, the Surface should be fine.” I’m not so sure about that, Panos. The last tablet we saw Brady throw was destroyed and we didn’t get to see how it went after this tantrum.
The Surface Tablet has become a punching bag for players and coaches alike since it was first introduced to the NFL in 2014. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was one of the first to be caught throwing the tablet. , and even Patriots coach Bill Belichick slammed it on the sidelines, albeit for reasons other than gameplay (he just couldn’t stand using tablets).
NFL’s website says Microsoft designed its Surface tablets specifically for football games so they “can take a beating.” Maybe Microsoft should make sure they can withstand a throw from a quarterback’s throwing arm, too.
Correction Sept 18, 6:16 PM ET: An earlier version of the article stated that Bill Belichick was the former coach of the Patriots, while he is the current coach. We regret the mistake.
