The year was 2013. Baltimore Ravens were playing New England Patriots. It was the battle between Ed Reed and Tom Brady. It couldn’t get better for football fans. But then, something strange happened. Observers of the game saw Brady do something unprecedented. It got stretched out to such a point where the Olympics legend and lifetime Ravens fan, Michael Phelps, also jumped in.
The 23x Olympics gold-winning swimmer publicly outed Tom Brady for intentionally ending Reed’s career. In addition, Baltimore Ravens fans and players were angry at this move made by the NFL GOAT. The NFL world issued mixed reactions to it. But the story remained ambiguous.
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The controversy began when TB12 was scrambling inside the 10-yard line. He went to slide to get himself up. Reed jumped to avoid hitting him based on his instincts, and Brady appeared to raise his leg in an attempt to allegedly kick or trip Ed Reed.
The NFL world did not receive the move made by the 7x Super Bowl-winning champion nicely. Former Patriots cornerback Eric Wright also tweeted in favor of Ed Reed, snubbing his teammate, Brady. Wright wrote, “Tom Brady kicked him on purpose…#ThereISaidIt.” However, the most shocking response was from Michael Phelps, who thrashed Brady.
What did Phelps say to Tom Brady?
In a tweet just after the AFC match between the Baltimore Ravens and the Patriots, Phelps took out his frustration. He said, “I mean really? You’re allowed to just kick your spikes up like that at the end of a play?? #cheapwaytoplay.”
Also Read: Tom Brady Gives This NFL Defensive Legend the Shoutout Of His Career After Making Honest Admission
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Later, Ed Reed revealed that Brady actually apologized to him. As per Marc Sessler from NFL.com, Reed revealed, “I told him you know, we talked. 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’s just apologized. But I told him, ‘You know, it’s good, man.
I mean really? You're allowed to just kick your spikes up like that at the end of a play?? #cheapwaytoplay
— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) January 21, 2013
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No harm, no foul. Both Reed and Brady have immense respect for one another. In fact, Brady said that Ed Reed is the toughest defensive player he has played against in his entire career.
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