Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady Credit: Fox

A prominent ESPN writer raised a new concern Sunday about Tom Brady as a broadcaster.

His voice.

Three games into his NFL broadcasting career, Brady has earned mixed reviews from fans and media critics. While Brady seemed more comfortable calling the Baltimore Ravens-Dallas Cowboys game, ESPN senior writer Don Van Natta Jr. dropped an X post midway through the matchup sharing his concerns.

“Tom Brady’s problem— and ours— is his voice,” Van Natta wrote. “No matter how much his commentary might improve, Brady’s delivery system teeters between mildly annoying to nails-on-a-chalkboard.

“It doesn’t help he’s paired with Kevin Burkhardt, whose magisterial voice is made for a microphone.


The “nails-on-a-chalkboard” analogy is certainly a new twist in dissecting Brady’s performance in the NFL on Fox booth. Thus far in his young broadcasting career he’s been advised to stop being “Captain Obvious”; to “loosen up a little bit“; and to work on his cadence and delivery.

But Brady’s voice itself hasn’t really come into question. A few fans agreed with Van Natta’s post, and some even suggested Brady’s voice could benefit from some tweaking in the Fox production truck.


In terms of previous criticism of Brady, one common theme is that he didn’t share enough personal insight. He had one notable incident Sunday when he talked about how he felt when the New England Patriots’ faced a 28-3 deficit in Super Bowl LI. Coincidentally, that happened right before the Cowboys rallied from a 28-6 deficit, although they lost, 28-25.


Three weeks in, Brady has improved in some areas, including toning down the “obvious” commentary angles. Yet he remains a work in progress, about what you’d expect from a rookie in his profession.

[Don Van Natta Jr.]

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.