Tom Brady Under Fire For Saying Janet Jackson's Wardrobe Malfunction At 2004 Super Bowl Was 'A Good Thing For The NFL'

As BuzzFeed News reports, Jackson, whose career took a hit after the costume malfunction, was ridiculed for the mishap for years. In addition, she issued an apology that she regretted years later. At the time, Timberlake joked about the incident, saying it was “every man’s dream” and overall no big deal.

Timberlake has since apologized for his insensitivity and acknowledged that while he profited from the situation, Jackson, as a Black woman, was demonized for it.

“It’s an understatement to say that it was sort of unfair if you consider it 50-50, I probably got 10% of the blame,” Timberlake said in a prior interview. “And that says something about society. I think that America’s harsher on women, and I think that America’s unfairly harsh on ethnic people.”

Though the chapter appeared to be closed, Brady entered the chat and shared his thoughts on the incident, which occurred almost two decades ago. On his SiriusXM Radio show, Let’s Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray, he said the malfunction was “probably a good thing.”

Brady and his co-hosts described the moment they learned about the mishap during the halftime show.

“I didn’t see much. … Even I remember when we beat Carolina. … We came off the field and that was when we had the wardrobe malfunction with Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson,” Brady remembered, adding later that it “took a while” for him to find out what went down.

Brady thinks the nip slip was a positive thing for the NFL, awarding the league “more publicity” and, ultimately, more money.

“I think in the end, it was probably a good thing for the NFL because everyone got to talk about it, and it was just more publicity and more publicity for halftime shows,” he said.

“Is any publicity bad publicity?” the 45-year-old added. “That’s what they say, so, who knows?”

The tone-deaf comment did not sit well with users, who described it as “superficial and shallow.”

“I don’t think he understands the amount of s**t she went through after that backlash. That comment was too superficial and shallow,” one user wrote.

I don’t think he understands the amount of shit she went through after that backlash. That comment was too superficial and shallow. https://t.co/lk7XJ331GH

— Big Kit (@StevieDwayne) February 15, 2023

“It sure wasn’t good for Janet Jackson’s career. Folks blamed her and only her for the whole incident,” another tweeted.

It sure wasn't good for Janet Jackson's career. Folks blamed her and only her for the whole incident. pic.twitter.com/1CI29f9grN

— GottaLoveSyl🌻 (@GottaLoveSyl) February 15, 2023

One person tweeted that they think Brady should be embarrassed by his comments.

“????? He should be ashamed for treating Janet’s trauma like that,” they wrote.

????? He should be ashamed for treating Janet's trauma like that

— Chris•tine | #SaveGentlemanJack (@alligatortearsq) February 14, 2023

According to the Mirror, Brady announced his retirement a few weeks ago after playing in the NFL for 23 seasons. He’s preparing to move to Fox Sports as a commentator, which has forced Greg Olsen out of the leading booth and resulted in a $7 million decrease in Olsen’s salary.