TAMPA, Fla. — While several NFL players expressed excitement this week over a newly adopted rule that allows more flexibility when it comes to the numbers worn on players’ jerseys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is not at all a fan.
Brady took to Instagram on Thursday to express his dissatisfaction with the rule change, believing it will cause safety issues for the offense, such as identifying blitzers or who’s the middle linebacker of the defense.
“Good luck trying to block the right people now!” Brady posted on his Instagram story, with an image of the new numbers permitted. “Going to make for a lot of bad football!”
Brady then posted a screen capture of a story about the rule and directed it to the NFL and NFL Players Association, with the words “DUMB” and “Why not let the Lineman wear whatever they want too? Why have numbers? Just have colored jerseys…why not wear the same number?…DUMB.”
The NFL’s new rule, adopted Wednesday with a number of other proposals, allows quarterbacks, punters and place-kickers to wear numbers 1-19, defensive backs 1-49, and then running backs, tight ends and wide receivers 1-49 and 80-89. Offensive linemen can wear 50-79, defensive linemen 50-79 and 90-99, and linebackers 1-59 and 90-99.