Tom Brady responds to never-ending reports of feud between him and former Buccaneers HC Bruce Arians
Tom Brady issued his response to the constant reports of a rift between himself and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians. The Buccaneers quarterback said there’s zero beef whatsoever and that both him and Arians have a great relationship as well as Arians playing a role in the quarterback choosing Tampa Bay:
"Zero whatsoever. He and I have a great relationship. Part of the reason I chose here was because of Bruce. I mean, he and I have incredible communication. I have great respect for him. He knows how I feel about him, that's the most important thing. And I know how he feels about me."
It's all love between Tom Brady and Bruce Arians 🏴☠️ https://t.co/uRusGCCLhG
The three-time NFL MVP initially retired back in February this offseason, only to unretire less than six weeks later. Arians stepped down and retired as the Buccaneers head coach two weeks after the quarterback announced his return to the league.
The former Tampa Bay head coach said that he would likely have coached in the 2022 season if the 44-year-old quarterback had not returned to the team:
"I was going the other way. I was thinking he wasn't going to play. I was thinking about who are we going to get? Who wants to trade? There wasn't anybody to draft. That was obvious. Me, to the public, I was fine with the two we had: Blaine (Gabbert) and Kyle (Trask). Because I've seen Blaine win with a good team behind him. Had Tom not come back, I probably would still be coaching. I couldn't give Todd that situation."
Tom Brady and Bruce Arians in Tampa Bay
The legendary quarterback signed with the Buccaneers in March 2020 after spending the first 20 seasons of his NFL career with the New England Patriots. In their first season together, Tampa Bay made it to the Super Bowl in the 2020 season, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium.
Tom Brady debunks any rumors he had issues with Bruce Arians.
"Part of why I chose here was Bruce."
Was then asked if he was frustrated by some of the reports trickling out about that.
"There are a lot of things that aren't right that are said."
@10TampaBay | #GoBucs https://t.co/yOeID1vFue
It gave the quarterback his unprecedented seventh Lombardi Trophy and Arians the first of his coaching career. At 68 years old, Arians became the oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl.
Last season, Brady led the NFL in both passing yards (5,316) and passing touchdowns (43) and made it to the NFC Divisional Round. In the end, they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams.
The 15-time Pro Bowler will enter his 23rd season in the league, his third with Tampa Bay, and his first without Arians on the sidelines. We’ll see how the 2018 AP Offensive Player of the Year fares with Todd Bowles as head coach in the 2022 season.