Tom Brady curses live on Fox NFL broadcast
Tom Brady, Fox Sports lead NFL game analyst, is a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and calls games alongside play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt. Brady said an expletive live on air Sunday.
The comment aired during Fox’s broadcast of the Dallas Cowboys 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders on September 20, 2026. The network had just replayed an injury to Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels moments before Brady spoke.
FCC fines can exceed $500,000 per violation
The FCC’s 2025 inflation-adjusted maximum forfeiture for a broadcast station found to have aired obscene, indecent or profane material is $508,373 per violation or day of a continuing violation, with a maximum of $4,692,668 for a single continuing act. These amounts are higher than the older $325,000 and $3 million figures.
The FCC has historically pursued broadcast licensees in indecency cases, although federal law provides enforcement authority over qualifying violations. No FCC penalty against FOX had been announced in connection with Brady’s September 20 comment as of September 23, 2026.
Cowboys beat Commanders 37 to 20 Sunday
The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Washington Commanders 37 to 20 on September 20, 2026, in a Week 2 matchup between the longtime NFC East rivals. Dallas pulled away in the second half behind a strong passing performance.
Washington lost starting quarterback Jayden Daniels to an elbow injury in the first half and never fully recovered offensively. Fox carried the broadcast nationally with Brady and Kevin Burkhardt calling the action from the booth.
Fox showed injury replay before Brady’s remark
Fox aired a replay of Jayden Daniels being carted off with an elbow injury just before Brady used the expletive on air. Brady later admitted on the broadcast that he was surprised at how bad the replay looked.
Media law professor Michael Socolow flagged the moment on X, writing that Brady had said the word during the live Commanders and Cowboys broadcast. Socolow’s post quickly drew attention from sports and media commentators online.
Jayden Daniels hurt his elbow in the loss
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow late in the first half and was carted off the field. Before leaving, Daniels completed 11 of 17 passes for 96 yards and 1 touchdown against Dallas.
Daniels also rushed 7 times for 69 yards, a 9.9-yard average per carry, before the injury ended his afternoon. Washington’s offense struggled to generate the same production after he left the September 20, 2026, game.
FCC indecency rules explained under federal law
Federal law under 18 U.S.C. Section 1464 bans obscene, indecent, or profane language on broadcast television and radio. According to the FCC, indecent material is barred between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., a window courts call the safe harbor.
The FCC defines indecency as language that depicts sexual or excretory activities in a way that is patently offensive by community standards. Brady’s Sunday broadcast aired in the late afternoon, squarely inside the restricted daytime window.
Janet Jackson case set the fine precedent
The FCC’s 2004 enforcement action followed Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl halftime wardrobe malfunction, which led the agency to propose the maximum then-applicable indecency penalty against 20 CBS-owned stations. The combined proposed forfeiture was $550,000.
The case became an important part of the FCC’s history of regulating broadcast indecency, although the $550,000 penalty was later overturned by a federal appeals court. It remains relevant when examining the agency’s past approach to live broadcast content.
Dak Prescott set a Cowboys record Sunday
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott completed 26 of 32 passes for 279 yards and 4 touchdowns in the win over Washington. The performance pushed his career total to 249 touchdown passes for Dallas.
That mark passed Tony Romo’s previous franchise record of 248 career touchdown passes for the Cowboys. Prescott’s record-setting afternoon happened on the same broadcast where Brady’s on-air comment drew attention over potential FCC enforcement.
Fun fact: Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels won the 2024 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award in a near-unanimous vote, securing 49 of 50 first-place votes.
Brady signed a $375 million Fox contract
Fox Sports signed Brady to a 10-year, $375 million contract in May 2022, the richest deal in sports broadcasting history at the time. Brady began calling games as Fox’s lead NFL analyst in September 2024 after retiring as a player.
The deal pays Brady an average of $37.5 million a season, according to reporting at the time of signing. It made him the highest-paid analyst in American sports television, ahead of CBS and ESPN’s top broadcasters.
Brady faced broadcast scrutiny before Sunday
Brady’s Sunday comment was not his first on-air controversy since joining Fox. In October 2024, Brady used the term spaz to describe Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, drawing criticism online for the word’s ableist history.
In December 2022, cameras caught Brady swearing on the sideline after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rallied to beat the New Orleans Saints. Brady was still an active player for Tampa Bay at that time, not yet a broadcaster.
Brady also holds a stake in the Raiders
Beyond his Fox role, Brady owns a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, a deal the NFL approved in 2024. As a part-owner, Brady is barred from publicly criticizing NFL officials or opposing teams during broadcasts.
He is also restricted from visiting non-Raiders team facilities and must join opposing team production meetings remotely rather than in person. The dual role has drawn conflict of interest questions from sports media critics since 2024.
No FCC fine issued against Fox as of September 23
As of September 23, 2026, no FCC penalty against FOX had been announced in connection with Brady’s September 20 broadcast comment. The FCC accepts complaints involving television indecency, but its enforcement process is not limited to complaints filed by viewers at home.
The 2004 Janet Jackson case shows that broadcast-indecency matters can take substantial time to resolve. Michael Socolow publicly described Brady’s remark as an FCC issue on X, but there is no public confirmation that his post triggered an official FCC proceeding.
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Brady returns to the booth in Week 3
Brady and Kevin Burkhardt are scheduled to call the Los Angeles Chargers at Buffalo Bills game on Sunday, September 27, 2026, for Week 3 of the NFL season. Fox has not commented publicly on Sunday’s on-air moment.
The Commanders, meanwhile, must replace Jayden Daniels while he recovers from his elbow injury heading into Week 3. Both storylines are likely to follow Brady and the Commanders into the next round of Sunday broadcasts.
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This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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