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Tom Brady Brushes Off 'Crybaby' Comments, Admits He's Angling For Penalty Yardage

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (CBSNewYork) -- If Tom Brady appears to be whining to the referees, it's because he's trying to help his team win the game, the Patriots' quarterback said Wednesday.

The four-time Super Bowl-winning signal caller was asked to respond to comments by Broncos defensive lineman Antonio Smith that Brady was a crybaby.

"I've never seen any quarterback look to the referee right after he gets sacked more than Brady," Smith told the Colorado Springs Gazette. "Every time he gets sacked he looks at the ref like, 'You see him sack me? Was that supposed to happen? He did it a little hard. Please throw a 15-yard penalty on him. Get him fined.'"

Brady kept his cool when asked about the remarks.

"I love it when the refs throw flags at the defense," he told reporters. "It advances our team. That is just part of football."

When asked about the conversations he's had with refs, Brady said: "I don't remember much about them. I've taken a lot of hits over the years."

Both of New York's tabloids splashed photos of Brady's head on a baby's body on their back pages Wednesday. The New York Post's headline read "TOM BABY," while the New York Daily News' said "CRYBRADY."

Tom Brady covers
The covers of the New York Daily News and New York Post on Jan. 20, 2016

Some of Brady's teammates, meanwhile, stuck up for him.

"He's not a whiner," wide receiver Brandon LaFell told the Boston Globe. "He's a winner."

The Broncos will host the Patriots in the AFC championship game Sunday.

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