Report: NFL Teams 'Miffed' At Tom Brady, Want Bucs Penalized For Violating Social Distancing Restrictions
BOSTON (CBS) -- It took Tom Brady all of five minutes to tick off the rest of the NFL with his new team.
As you likely heard this week, Brady made the mistake of entering the wrong home when trying to visit offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. That story came just after news broke of Brady getting kicked out of a park in Tampa, as the state follows stay-at-home protocol amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Some people saw these as silly stories. Brady himself made a little joke about it on Twitter.
Others, though, viewed it as a very serious problem. And some people want some punishment to follow.
According to CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora, other NFL teams are "miffed" that Brady has had "interactions with staff members in Tampa despite restrictions." As such, those dismayed teams "are anticipating stern discipline" coming for the Buccaneers.
On Thursday, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote about Brady's accidental case of breaking and entering. Florio noted that NFL rules during this time of social distancing dictate that "players cannot meet with coaches at any time prior to the start of the offseason program. Meetings outside the building are even more problematic, because in many cases those meetings can happen without detection."
A source told Florio: "Totally illegal. They should be fined. Plus, I bet those duffel bags [Brady carried] had footballs in them."
Florio added that "rumors and speculation in league circles" have indicated that the Buccaneers took a "No [bleeps] Given" attitude when it came to the tamper-rific pursuit of Brady and in terms of complying with league rules during this social distancing era.
A source tried to explain the house visiting situation, telling ESPN that Brady and Leftwich were "trying to follow social distancing guidelines, having Brady come to pick up materials from his new coach rather than meeting with him." But Florio suspected that was a Buccaneers leak to try to cover up the issue.
Of course, people in New England are no strangers to this type of attention, as it always tends to follow Brady in everything he does or says, even if other teams (like, say, the Redskins) and players are acting similarly. That's just part of the deal when you're the most famous quarterback in the world.
But now, it's no longer New England's problem. Now, that problem belongs to Tompa Bay and Tompa Bay only.
