WHAT’S BEING CLAIMED:
- Bruce Arians’ resignation as Bucs’ head coach sparked speculation that Tom Brady’s NFL return has something to do with it.
- Rumors have it that there’s a rift between Brady and Arians, despite coach Arians having repeatedly denied it.
- Arians has been the Buccaneers’ head coach from 2019 to 2021.
Bruce Arians’ move to resign as Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach has prompted speculation about Tom Brady’s role in the surprising decision.
There had been rumors of a potential rift between the GOAT and Arians this off-season.
According to ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, Brady didn’t feel the Bucs were “buttoned-up” enough heading into the playoffs which led to their divisional-round loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Sports media personality Colin Cowherd said on his podcast that Arians and Brady’s relationship was “turbulent” as Arians was not as much of a planner as Brady likes.
People are also talking about Brady’s early retirement decision and his un-retirement about a month later.
Brady learned of Arians’ resignation decision shortly after he announced his plan to return to the Bucs, ESPN’s Jenna Laine reported on Thursday. Todd Bowles, the Bucs new head coach, only learned of Arians’ decision on Monday.
The Bucs staffers were “shocked” to learn of the head coach’s decision, Laine reported.
As The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin noted, the timeline of events is eyebrow-raising. On March 12, a still-retired Brady visited Manchester United, the English Premier League soccer team owned by the Glazer family, who also own the Buccaneers.
The next day, Brady announced his return to the team, and soon thereafter, learned of Arians’ decision to step down.
“It seems pretty clear to me that Brady either explicitly told the Glazers that he couldn’t play for Arians anymore, or the Glazers took the hint,” Volin wrote.
Arians had denied any rift with Brady at the owners’ meetings, denying all the rumors. During Thursday’s press conference in Tampa Bay, Arians said “People gotta write shit. It couldn’t be further from the truth.”
In a statement on Wednesday, Arians wrote that he had been working on a “succession plan” and wanted to put Bowles in a position to succeed. Arians had assembled a diverse coaching staff and wanted to help diversity in the NFL.
The Bucs have denied that Brady had anything to do with Arians’ decision to move to the front office.
Brady posted a tribute to Arians on Instagram, calling Arians a “huge part” of his decision to join the Bucs as a free agent in 2020.
“We all benefited from your leadership and guidance and I’m so proud of everything we accomplished,” Brady wrote.
Source: Yahoo! Sports
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