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Former Pro Bowl RB defends Tom Brady over sideline outbursts
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports

Former Pro Bowl RB Thomas Jones defends Tom Brady over sideline outbursts

Retired one-time Pro Bowl running back Thomas Jones has come to the defense of Tom Brady after cameras showed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback screaming at his offensive linemen during what became a loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers this past Sunday. 

"It happens with everybody," Jones explained during an edition of the "TMZ Sports" FS1 program. "Football is a very emotional game, very emotional game, and if you're not playing with emotion, then you shouldn't be out there, because that means you probably don't want to win.

"That happens all the time. I know when people see it on TV and when they get clips of it, sometimes it's out of context, that's the nature of the game. That's the nature of the emotions of the game. That's definitely not Tom Brady's first time and definitely not his last time."

Jones is right that Sunday wasn't the first time Brady publicly lost his cool on a sideline this season. The 45-year-old violently tossed a tablet to the ground as the Tampa Bay offense struggled during a Week 2 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 18, and that was before the Buccaneers lost three of four games to drop to 3-3 on the campaign. 

More recently, Brady received criticism from multiple big-name NFL personalities for missing a team walk-through to attend the wedding of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft before the 20-18 defeat in Pittsburgh. However, Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin believes members of the Bucs can use such takes to "huddle around" the seven-time Super Bowl champion. 

Brady and the Buccaneers will look to start a new winning streak when they play at the 1-5 Carolina Panthers this Sunday. 

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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