Tampa Bay QB Brady slams league's expanded jersey number rule

[April 23, 2021]    (Reuters) - Tampa Bay Buccaners quarterback Tom Brady said the National Football League's rule change easing jersey number restrictions would make blocking more difficult and lead to "a lot of bad football".

Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Tom Brady after winning the Super Bowl LV REUTERS/Eve Edelheit

NFL owners approved six rules changes on Wednesday, including one to expand jersey number options for certain positions because of larger practice squads.

Number restrictions help coaches and players identify formations of opposing teams, and the new scheme, which allows any defensive back to wear 1-49, any linebacker to wear 1-59 and 90-99 among other possibilities, did not sit well with Brady.

"Good luck trying to block the right people now!" the seven-time Super Bowl champion wrote on Instagram with an image of the new numbering scheme. "Going to make for a lot of bad football!

"Why have numbers? Just have coloured jerseys ... why not wear the same number? ... DUMB," the 43-year-old wrote.

Brady picked up Super Bowl MVP honours for a fifth time in February after the Bucs defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the championship game and is one of just two quarterbacks to have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy with two different teams.

(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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