“He never had regret for one second” - League insider reveals Tom Brady has no remorse over leaving Bill Belichick for Bruce Arians in Tampa Bay
After Tom Brady came out of retirement after only 40 days away, Bruce Arians' decision to retire just two weeks later came as a shock. Immediately, upon Arians' announcement, the rumor mill began swirling that the friction between the two was so bad that Brady's return forced Arians into retirement.
ESPN insider Jeff Darlington addressed this rumor on Thursday's episode of The Rich Eisen Show. Darlington said the two had their disagreements, but Tom Brady came back expecting Arians to be his coach. Darlington said:
“I talked to a lot of people about that. And I think it’s, first of all, I do not think he was retiring for the reason that Bruce Arians was the coach. When he came back and decided to come back, I am fully convinced that he was doing so, knowing that Bruce Arians would be his head coach. And I think that says a lot about where the relationship is. Did Tom, over the past two years, become frustrated at times with different elements of game planning, and the way that things are going? Yes. But he did in New England, too. And I think it's very important to remember that."
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In addition to refuting any reporting that Tom Brady was responsible for Arians' exit, Darlington claimed their relationship remains solid. He even said Brady never regretted leaving Bill Belichick in New England. Darlington said:
"There were definitely moments when I feel like people were wondering ‘Gosh, does he regret coming down?' Belichick was such a more disciplined guy.’ I can tell you emphatically he never had regret for one second. And that, to this day, his relationship with Arians is solid. I've talked to Arians about it himself. You know, they definitely went at it at times. They got into it at times. But generally speaking, I wouldn't say it was any unhealthier than a lot of coach-quarterback relationships that exist around the NFL currently. That probably everybody thinks are perfectly kumbaya.”
Darlington's point regarding Brady and Arians going at it with one another is a smart one. Two veteran personalities were bound to butt heads.
Now that we know the relationship between Tom Brady and Bruce Arians is still healthy, the focus can now shift toward the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' future.
We hadn’t spoken with our buddy @JeffDarlington since the original @TomBrady retirement broke before the Super Bowl — TB12 is obviously back and the #NFL has been turned upside down since: https://t.co/ZNKKVMCQ3H
How will Tom Brady and new head coach Todd Bowles work together?
Todd Bowles is no stranger to being a head coach in the NFL. Although his record as a head coach isn't the most impressive, Arians hand-picked Bowles over Byron Leftwich. That shows how much confidence Arians has in Bowles to succeed him.
Leftwich keeping his title of Brady's offensive coordinator is probably for the best. As a head coach, Leftwich wouldn't be able to spend as much one-on-one time with Brady the same way Bowles now won't be able to focus as much on just the defense.
Many, including longtime Tom Brady fan Skip Bayless, believe Bowles and Brady will be able to co-exist and lead the Bucs to glory.
Time will tell how much the loss of Arians will or won't affect Tom Brady. But it's good to know from an insider like Darlington that Brady didn't force Arians' hand into retirement as many have believed over the last month.