Microsoft Surface slammed by NFL coach following loss, extent of damage unclear

What you need to know

• Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey destroyed a Microsoft Surface device during the broadcast of a game against the Miami Dolphins.
• Surface devices are the official tablet of the NFL and are used by players and coaches on the sidelines and in coaching booths.
• This is not the first time that members of the NFL have destroyed Surface hardware during a game.

In what has become a weekly occurrence, another NFL player or coach has destroyed a Surface device during a live broadcast of a game. Last week, it was Tom Brady, who has a history of chucking tablets on the sidelines. This week it was Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.

The ending of the Bills vs. Dolphins game was strange on several levels, including from a football perspective. In the final two minutes of the game, the Dolphins' punter kicked the ball into the posterior of his own teammate, which resulted in a scoring play for the Dolphins (a safety worth two points). Following what is being called the "butt punt," the Bills were down two points and had the ball.

Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen drove his offense down the field to the edge of scoring position but ran out of time after a Bills receiver failed to get out of bounds (which stops the clock in that situation).

In frustration, Dorsey threw a tantrum in the coaching booth, tossing headphones and repeatedly slamming a Surface. His tirade wasn't as elegant as when Tom Brady threw a Surface tablet with perfect form last week, but it was more violent.

The length of the emotional outburst is unknown because someone else in the booth covered up the camera and the broadcast cut away.

Microsoft has spent millions of dollars as part of an official partnership with the NFL over the years. In the early days of that deal, many coaches, players, and members of the media referred to the blue-branded Surface devices as iPads. In contrast, many outlets and fans accurately referred to the victim of Dorsey's destruction as a Surface. Microsoft may view that as a marketing victory.

With Surface hardware under attack by NFL personnel on a regular basis, you may want to protect your tablet. It's unclear if the rage of NFL players and coaches will extend to the sidelines or further. The best Surface Pro 8 cases should help keep your 2-in-1 protected against the majority of NFL coaches and players. However, we can't guarantee that military-grade protection is strong enough to help against larger NFL players.

For more NFL-related Surface shenanigans, take a look at our Instagram montage.