New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been panned on Twitter over a controversial scene in his new Facebook Watch documentary, Tom vs Time, which shows him kissing his 11-year-old son on the lips.
The brief interaction between the five-time Super Bowl champion and his eldest child, Jack, was depicted in episode three of the show, titled The Social Game, which was released on Tuesday and has been viewed more than 4.7million times as of Friday morning.
In the scene, Brady is getting a massage when his son peeks through the door and asks him if he can check his fantasy football standings.
Father-son-moment: In episode three of Tom Brady’s Facebook Watch series, Tom vs Time, he is getting a massage when his 11-year-old son, Jack, walks in
After asking his dad if he could check his fantasy football standings, Brady prompts Jack to give him a kiss
Smooch: The 11-year-old plants a quick kiss on Brady’s mouth while he is getting a massage
Not good enough: Jack is walking away when Brady complains that it was ‘just a peck.’ The NFL star’s eldest son then walks back to his dad for a second kiss
Too long? The 11-year-old gives his father a much longer kiss on the mouth, which some viewers said was overly intimate and lingering
Jack then wipes his lips on his shirt and walks out of the room after chatting with Brady about football
‘What do I get?’ Brady wryly asks the boy.
Jack walks over to his dad with a knowing smile on his face and plants a kiss on his lips.
Brady’s masseuse chimes in: ‘you know, Jack, everything comes with a cost, bud’.
As Jack is making his way towards the door, Brady complains: ‘that was like a peck’.
The boy dutifully returns to Brady, leans over again and gives the NFL star a second kiss on the mouth, which lingers for several seconds.
Jack then wipes his lips on his T-shirts, has some friendly back-and-forth with Brady about football and walks out of the room.
It did not take long for Twitter to light up with negative messages blasting the married father-of-three football player for the kiss, which many critics described as unacceptably long and overly intimate.
One tweet read: ‘I have relationships that didn’t last as long as Tom Brady’s father son kiss…’
Throwback: Brady kisses his son on the lips in this 2011 photo
Another user wrote that as someone who comes from ‘One Of Those Kissing Families,’ he wanted to defend the father-son smooch, but concluded that ‘the kiss is pretty weird.’
Many took issue with Brady’s being unsatisfied with the first kiss, which he dismissed as ‘just a peck,’ and having the boy come over again for a second, much more prolonged kiss, which one Twitter user bluntly called a ‘psychopath move.’
Other viewers, however, came to Brady’s defense, arguing that he was being unfairly maligned for showing affection towards his children.
Fox News Headlines reporter Carley Shimkus tweeted: ‘Anyone who feels it was inappropriate for Tom Brady to kiss his 11 year old son should get their mind out of the gutter. All I see is a loving dad… and last I checked, that was a good thing.’
Other comments supporting Brady’s parenting style said that it was not uncommon for moms and dads to kiss their children on the lips, and that the ‘controversy’ over the smooch between Tom and Jack was ‘silly.’
One user quipped: ‘If Tom Brady was my dad. I’d kiss him like that too.’
Jack, whose real name is John Edward Thomas Moynahan, is Tom’s son from a previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynahan.
He has two younger children, eight-year-old Benjamin and five-year-old Vivian, with his Brazilian supermodel wife Gisele Bündchen.
On Sunday, Brady will lead the patriots at Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles in search for his sixth championship title.
Brady was seen at last year’s Super Bowl kissing his father on the lips after the Patriots’ win.
Brady was seen at last year’s Super Bowl kissing his father on the lips after the Patriots’ win
Planting a smacker: Brady kisses his dad again on the lips in 2010
Brady throws during a practice on Thursday in Minneapolis. The Patriots are scheduled to face the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL Super Bowl 52 on Sunday
NFL stars also weighed in to defend Brady.
Tight end for Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce told TMZ Sports: ‘I feel like it’s definitely just family love. I wouldn’t think Tom’s on some weirdo stuff.
‘Everyone’s going to talk. They be talking about how Lil Wayne and baby be kissing.
‘Father son love. AlthoughI think once you hit like five it gets a little awkward for the people around you.’
NFL Hall of Famer Willie Roaf told the publication : ‘I wouldn’t do that. I have no problem with it. I don’t think it’s that big a deal.
‘Some people kiss on lips and have no problem with it. Italians.
‘You gotta give Tom Brady the pass.’