Tom Brady Has Been Vaccinated, As Bruce Arians Reveals Bucs Are At 100 Percent

By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- Everything Tom Brady says or doesn't say becomes a national talking point. Everything Tom Brady does or doesn't do can -- and often will -- become controversial.

So when Brady -- a man who's meticulous about everything that goes into his body -- did not say anything one way or another about the coronavirus vaccine throughout the spring and summer, some people assumed that the reigning Super Bowl MVP did not receive a vaccine to protect himself from COVID-19.

As is often the case with those who assume ... those people were wrong.

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians told the media on Thursday that 100 percent of the team's players, coaches, and staff have been vaccinated. Some basic mathematics tells us, then, that Tom Brady by necessity has received the vaccine.

In previous weeks, Arians said the team was close to that 100 percent mark, with one or two players on the roster who hadn't received a shot. Now with the 53-man roster set and the season opener a week away, the Bucs are at 100 percent. Running back Leonard Fournette said that he initially resisted the vaccine, but had his mind changed.

That 100 percent rate will, of course, make life a little bit easier for the defending champs, as certain protocols figure to present challenges for unvaccinated players and their teams -- challenges which are avoidable by getting vaccinated.

The Patriots experienced that in recent weeks, with Cam Newton -- who's not fully vaccinated -- having to miss five days of work after traveling away from the Patriots' facility and not following proper testing protocols. Though Bill Belichick aggressively resisted the suggestion that Newton's vaccination status impacted the team's decision to release him, the situation was nevertheless an example of how easily an unvaccinated player can become unavailable for his team.

And while the 44-year-old Brady has offered some evidence that he may be resistant to certain things like strawberries or tomatoes, and while he has offered up "immunity boosters" for sale while also posting curious FDR quotes on Instagram during the pandemic, he seemingly accepted the vaccine.

Brady and the Bucs kick off their season -- and their Super Bowl defense -- next Thursday night against the Dallas Cowboys.

In:
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• NFL
• COVID-19
• Tom Brady
• Coronavirus
• Vaccines