'Old Grumpy Man' Tom Brady Whines About New NFL Numbers Rule

Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady is upset that NFL owners approved a rule change that will expand the uniform numbers available to players.

The change means, for example, that quarterbacks, kickers and punters will no longer be the only players eligible to wear a single-digit jersey number. Owners adopted the new rule because the expanded practice squads necessitated by COVID-19 issues last season created number conflicts, NFL.com noted.

Not a big deal, right? They’re just numbers.

But Brady, the winner of seven Super Bowls, thought otherwise. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback suggested in an Instagram story that players won’t know who to block, and facetiously asked why have numbers at all. He wrote that the rule would “make for a lot of bad football” and was “dumb.”

Tom Brady weighs in on an NFL rule change: pic.twitter.com/EhTd8f6kVh

— Lucy Burdge (@LucilleBurdge) April 22, 2021

Part 2: Tom Brady is really not happy with the league expanding the use of single-digit numbers. This is his second post on the topic today. pic.twitter.com/djV2oNkNut

— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) April 22, 2021

Many on Twitter needled the superstar for overreacting. One even called him an “old grumpy man.” Brady is 43.

I feel like Tom Brady is just an old grumpy man with this new numbers change rule 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/31rfIVfet0

— coachdrewsmith (@DrewSmi14513048) April 23, 2021

I cannot fathom being this mad about jersey numbers and that makes me a little embarrassed to have Tom Brady on team dark mode

— Amy Cadence (@ghostmomforever) April 22, 2021

Tom Brady was more upset about those uniform numbers than any of the injustices that have happened in America in the last year or past two weeks.........

— Ty Slamma Jamma (@TyFromTheSky) April 23, 2021

So Tom Brady, a professional of 20 years needs certain jersey numbers to identify opposing players correctly? I think we may have overrated how smart he is 🤷🏾‍♂️

— KayCee (@KingFrmDa0) April 23, 2021

So, you’re not happy about the new jersey numbers? Then retire, you big “0”!

— mary (@mary08307745) April 23, 2021

If @TomBrady thinks his offensive linemen won’t know who to block because the DLs have more freedom to choose their numbers, every OL on the Bucs should feel insulted, because he just publicly called them idiots.

— Cirdon91 (@cirdon91) April 23, 2021

Can you imagine if all it took to mess up Tom Brady on the field was changing position uniform numbers?! #nfl #stopbeingababybrady #BillsMafia

— Eric (@EWSportsfan) April 23, 2021

Tom cry baby ass Brady get over yourself about the jersey numbers...... you don’t run 💩

— Packers forever 🧀 MichiganHoops 🏀 (@45_caliber1) April 23, 2021

Well I hate it if Tom hates it! 🤣🤣

— Tolga Akyatan (@KeefVape) April 23, 2021

@TomBrady Poor Tommy. 400 years of football and he won’t be able to identify the right people to block. Guess if we had this rule 20 years ago he would own no Super Bowl rings. Maybe the Giants wore the wrong numbers which is why he could not beat them. Ha Ha. Go Gmen!!

— Vic Fontana (@fontana_vic) April 23, 2021

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.