Social media blew up on Sunday night after a live TV moment with Tom Brady during the Eagles–Cowboys game sent fans into a frenzy.
Brady, now working as a broadcaster, seemed to trip over a player’s name while breaking down a key play late in the matchup.
The quick slip spread online in seconds, and suddenly people were claiming, wrongly, that he had used a racial slur.
Tom Brady appears to have a slip-up during the Eagles-Cowboys game
The moment blew up during the final minutes of Sunday’s wild finish, where the Cowboys stormed back from a 21–0 hole to beat the Eagles 24–21.
While breaking down a play involving a big sack on Philly quarterback Jalen Hurts, Tom Brady stumbled over his words while mentioning Eagles offensive lineman Landon Dickerson.
He began to say something that sounded like “Nicker”, then immediately corrected himself, saying, “Excuse me, Landon Dickerson right there.”
The slip was barely a split second, but it was enough to send the internet into chaos. Fans immediately rushed to replay the clip, posting slow-motion edits, trying to figure out what they heard.
Reactions swung from disbelief to outrage, and a whole lot of confusion. One viewer asked what the erstwhile Patriots’ player said, while others joked that they rewound the broadcast “like five times” to listen again.
As the clip kept circulating, plenty of fans pushed back against the outrage, saying Brady clearly just stumbled over the name while shifting from one player to another.
One commenter wrote, “He said ‘nicker’ as in Nickerson, he just got tongue-tied. People blow everything out of proportion.” Others pointed out that he immediately corrected himself and said Dickerson.
The moment also sparked memories of a similar flare-up after Super Bowl LV, when Kansas City star Tyrann Mathieu suggested Brady used inappropriate language during a heated exchange on the field.
The rumor spread fast back then, too, until NFL Network’s Michael Irvin stepped in and explained that both players were mic’d up—and “Tom did not say that.”
While everyone argued online, the real story was the game itself.
Dallas Cowboys pulled off one of their most dramatic comebacks ever against the Philadelphia Eagles. Down 21-0 early, they roared back to win 24-21.
Dak Prescott slung the ball for 354 yards and two touchdowns, and in the process became the franchise’s all-time leader in passing yards.
George Pickens caught a huge 146 receiving yards, and CeeDee Lamb added another 75 yards. Both were instrumental in keeping Detroit’s playoff dreams very much alive.
As for the Eagles, they came crashing down. After a blazing start, they stumbled on their final seven offensive chance, punting five times, losing a fumble, and missing a field goal.
Their checkout was also slowed by fourteen penalties, and now they sit at 8-3 heading into the stretch run.
