Buccaneers’ Tom Brady blasts ‘dumb’ new NFL uniform number rule

While a few NFL players expressed excitement this week over a newly adopted rule that permits greater flexibility with regards to the numbers worn on players’ jerseys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady isn’t at all a fan.

Brady took to Instagram on Thursday to express his dissatisfaction with the rule change, believing it will cause wellbeing issues for the offense, for example, 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 at that point posted a screen capture of an anecdote 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 various different proposals, permits 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.