The NFL is investigating a report where a laser pointer was allegedly flashed at New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, during the AFC Championship game against the Chiefs in Kansas City.
A green laser dot was focused on Brady’s face and upper body during the fourth quarter on Sunday evening in Arrowhead Stadium, the Boston Herald reported.
The Patriots won the game 37-31 and advanced to the Super Bowl to play the Los Angeles Rams. The game in Atlanta on Sunday, Feb. 3.
Our photographer, Turner Twyman, caught someone pointing what appears to be a laser pointer in Tom Brady's face last night. Play between the "muff" that wasn't and Sorensen int. @NFL, @Patriots and @Chiefs all told me they weren't aware of the incident. pic.twitter.com/ejWBQ6i64C
— William Joy (@WilliamJoy) January 21, 2019
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Sports Illustrated that the league is looking into the laser report, but he said it didn’t affect the game. A laser can damage a person’s eyes.
“We’ve had some issues of lasers around the airport, but not at the stadium,” Sgt. Jacob Becchina, a spokesman for the Kansas City Police Department, told the newspaper. “We will investigate, though, if we receive a police report.”
The laser beam was spotted on Brady at least three times in all.
The laser wasn’t picked up by broadcaster CBS during its coverage of the game.
It happened one other time that we've seen on a pass to Hogan. #Chiefs #Patriots pic.twitter.com/27QkYf0m9P
— William Joy (@WilliamJoy) January 21, 2019
A Patriots spokesman told the Herald that the team had “no comment” on the reports.
Brady, during his post-game press conference, didn’t mention the laser. It also did not appear to affect his play.
KMBC, a local Kansas City station, quoted laser researcher Charles Cobb as saying that based on the size of the dot, the person was sitting far back in the end zone or in a corner.
“That one looked pretty diffuse, which implies to me it’s probably a laser pointer,” Cobb told the station. “He would’ve been seeing spots out there instead of his receivers.”
Cobb added that the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, has been dealing with people shining lasers at pilots for years.
“This is enough, if it hits the retina of the eye for just a short period of time, it could cause damage to the retina,” he told the outlet. “I don’t think lasers should be shined at anything except under surgical conditions or if you’re giving a talk.”
According to the Kansas City Star, it wasn’t the first time fans acted out during a playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium. During the Chiefs game against the Indianapolis Colts earlier this month, head coach Andy Reid berated fans who were throwing snowballs on the field.
After Sunday’s officiating debacle, the league must adopt Bill Belichick’s idea to make all plays reviewable, and streamline replay technology. @AlbertBreer on the fallout from championship weekend, and what comes next:https://t.co/0wqy4rRhJR pic.twitter.com/YBTEPD54Wc
— The MMQB (@theMMQB) January 21, 2019
Meanwhile, in 2015, a fan at a Detroit Lions game was banned for life from Ford Field in Detroit after pointing a laser at Buffalo Bills players, the Star noted.
‘Beyond Anything’
In a recent interview, Brady’s father said he was amazed at his son’s long-lasting success at age 41.
“It’s beyond anything that anybody could ever imagine,” Brady Sr. told Sports Illustrated. “Because this is something nobody could ever imagine in our wildest dreams. It’s not even something that you think about because it’s so bizarre. And yet, it still keeps happening. And in the middle of this year, coming out of Tennessee, many of us kind of thought that the Patriots were stumbling and bumbling and not destined for greatness.”
He added: “And lo and behold, as we saw the last couple, five or six weeks, they have done nothing but play spectacularly well and peak at the right time.”
“To be able to be the elder statesman who is stepping in and having to compete with someone like Patrick, who’s got so many talents and is going to be so awesome for years to come in the NFL, was kind of a definitive thing for him,” Brady Sr. said of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
He added: “He’s got so many terrific young quarterbacks in the league, and he doesn’t want to be left out of the conversation, even though some people have discounted him this year, as if his season wasn’t worthy to be in the same conversation.
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