USA Today Sports
Tom Brady He saw his first action this pre-season, playing 11 shots and leading the Bucs to a field goal. His appearance asks him to speak to the media afterwards.
It was the first time the quarterback had spoken publicly since the NFL punished Dolphins and owner Stephen Ross for messing with Brady and coach Sean Payton. It was also the first time Brady had met with the media since his 11-day hiatus for personal reasons.
Brady’s absence has reportedly had nothing to do with the health of Brady or his family, but there has been no announcement or reporting as to why he is staying away from the team. Brady shed a little light on the situation on Saturday.
“It’s all personal,” Brady said via a video clip from the team. “You know everyone has different situations to deal with. So, we all have really unique challenges to our lives. I’m 45, man. There’s a lot of bullshit going on. You just have to try to figure out life in the best possible way. It’s an ongoing process.”
Both Bucs coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht at the time said Brady’s hiatus was planned, but whether or not it was, the team had no choice but to move on. Brady said Saturday that he is grateful to Bucs for hosting him.
“Since coming to this organization, it has been a great experience for me to come to this place and have support over such a long period of time,” Brady said via Greg Uman of TheAthletic.com.
There has been speculation outside the facility about whether Brady will retire. He announced that he would retire this season before returning after 40 days. He’s back again but begs the question is his heart still inside of him?
On Saturday, Brady was asked if he had eaten anything that needed to be addressed on his personal vacation.
“I’m ready to go,” Brady said.
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