Seahawks quarterback takes his frustration out on a Microsoft Surface tablet

The Microsoft Surface is still being used as an outlet for frustration during NFL games.

After Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith threw an interception in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s game against San Francisco, Amazon’s stream showed him on the sidelines slamming the Surface tablet on his head before throwing it on the ground.

Play-by-play commentator Al Michaels quipped: “Not since Bill Belichick have we seen a slam-down like that.”

That’s a reference to the former Patriots head coach doing a similar slam back in 2016.

Microsoft’s custom-built, ruggedized tablets have been used by coaches and players on the sidelines since 2014 as a tool to review past plays, replacing the three-ring binders with paper printouts.

The rollout initially got off to a rocky start as commentators, including Michaels, referred to the Surface as an “iPad” or “iPad-like tool.”

But, as we detailed in 2021, Microsoft’s tablet ended up changing football forever: the tablets are now a mainstay on the sidelines.

And the deal was a boon to the company’s tablet brand. It now serves as a marketing case study for a successful sports tech partnership.

From earlier today: Amazon bets big on sports streaming in bid to boost Prime memberships, advertising revenue