[Conscience of a Conservative]

You have a point. In 40 years of watching football on TV, I can't remember another incidence like that. Intentional grounding is usually within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. That was way down the field. If that's illegal, why isn't throwing it out of bounds illegal? The same intent is obvious.

Throwing throwing the ball out of bounds without a receiver in the area is illegal, and is called when it happens (though NFL quarterbacks are usually smart enough to throw it close enough to a receiver that it's not going to be called very often).

[Principled]

Throwing throwing the ball out of bounds without a receiver in the area is illegal,... WHEN the QB is under pressure AND when the QB makes said throw from within the tackle box.

Outside the tackle box, throws can be to nowhere. But inside the tackle box AND under heavy pressure, the call was easy.

Lots and lots of judgments involved - but Brady made this easy. It was grounding ... and it was a bad one.

[FlyVet]

Sure, without a receiver in the area, but when they make that throw “with a receiver in the area”, it’s 10 feet over everybody’s heads. Ain’t nobody catching that, not even Wilt Chamberlain. The intent is obvious.