Dolphins LB says ref told him to 'stay off Tom' after a legal hit on Tom Brady

That's the NFL for ya.

The early going of the 2019 season has been brutal for NFL starting quarterbacks. With the injuries piling up, the last thing the league wants is to lose another marquee star.

But did Bill Vinovich’s officiating crew go a little too far in trying to protect the quarterback on Sunday? Dolphins linebacker Raekwon McMillan certainly thinks so.

The third-year pro from Ohio State told The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson that an official from Sunday’s blowout loss to the Patriots had some words for him as he took a perfectly legal hit on Tom Brady.

This official evidently said, “Stay off Tom.”

I’m sure that McMillan didn’t want to hear that, but the NFL has spent the past decade taking measures to protect the quarterback. This official probably didn’t want to see any Dolphins player getting in a cheap shot on Brady during a noncompetitive game.

It might not seem like the football of old, but we shouldn’t be surprised — this is Tom Brady we’re talking about here. This wouldn’t be the first time NFL refs have been accused of favoring the Patriots quarterback.