Tom Brady destroys tablet in tantrum as NFL icon hits 15-year low (VIDEO)

Even the greatest player in the history of the game isn't immune to losing his temper after NFL icon Tom Brady was caught by cameras destroying a tablet during just the third shutout loss of his 21-year career on Sunday night.

No player in NFL history has enjoyed more success on the gridiron than Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady – so perhaps it stands to reason that no player is quite as unprepared for failure?

Reigning Super Bowl champion Brady, who at 44 years old continues to defy any preconceived age barriers that people may have had about the sport, is tipped to win an eighth championship this season in what has been another stellar campaign in Florida since leaving New England for sunnier climes a season and a half ago.

But Brady's Bucs ran into a significant road block in Sunday's late game in the shape of division rivals the New Orleans Saints, and came out on the wrong side of a 9-0 loss in what was just the third time in Brady's (by our count) 359-game career – and the first occasion in 15 years – in which a side quarterbacked by him has failed to register even a single point on the scoreboard. 

And he wasn't one bit happy about it.

Brady's destruction of his Microsoft Surface Tablet, which might well have been his best thrown of the entire game, came after he had just been intercepted by the Saints' Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in the fourth quarter ending any hopes of a comeback in a game which could prove costly to Tampa Bay's hopes of a second successive Super Bowl following injuries to star running back Leonard Fournette as well as wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Brady's vitriol wasn't confined solely to technology either, after he was also spotted hurling abuse at Saints coach Dennis Allen who was sitting in the hot seat after head coach Sean Payton was absent through Covid-19. 

And somewhat predictably, Twitter didn't go easy on Tampa Tom after the embarrassing loss and ensuing temper tantrum.

"Better tablet toss: Brady or Rodgers?" asked one fan after posting side-by-side footage of Brady and Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, another figure who clearly hasn't been 'immunized' against losing his cool on the sidelines.

"Not Brady on the sideline upset like a kid that loss WiFi holding a tablet," said another, this time posting footage of Brady's former head coach Bill Belichick taking out his frustrations on the inanimate gadget.

A third, though, was slightly more harsh and highlighted Brady's tirade at Saints coach Allen: "Frustrated Brady yells at the refs, his teammates, and the opposing team’s coach…and now he’s throwing his tablet. What a role model," they wrote sarcastically.

"Don’t try to tell me it’s because he’s a competitor. He’s a j*rk."

The defeat authored by Brady could prove to be a costly one. The defeat means that his Buccaneers side ceded ground to Rodgers' Packers in the NFC conference race as the season inches closer to the playoffs - but speaking afterwards, the future Hall of Famer took the whole episode in his stride.

"Ah, nothing, [it's] just football," he said post-game.