Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles denied Monday that Tom Brady, quarterback and star of his team, receives preferential treatment over his teammates.
“He works as hard as anyone. Special treatment has had some guys who have missed some meetings and some practices for special things that are simply not advertised because they are not him; there is no preference,” Bowles said.
The Bucs have come under fire for the constant fury granted to the 45-year-old passer; In the preseason he was allowed to be absent for 11 days to attend to personal matters, which caused him not to be in the first two games of preparation.
At the end of week two of this season,
Tampa Bay reported that the winner of seven Super Bowl rings would rest every Wednesday of the campaign.
An announcement that in the face of criticism required clarification from Todd Bowles, who explained that other veterans of the team would also receive additional breaks.
“I think when you play in the league for a certain amount of time you don’t need to train all the time. Veterans will practice, but they won’t always practice. They will have days off occasionally because it is a long campaign, “argued the coach on September 18.
The latest criticism for the considered best player in NFL history came last Friday when Brady attended the wedding of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and missed the Bucs’ workout a day later.
In addition, Brady did not travel with the team for Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh. The passer arrived on a private flight and started in the Bucs’ 20-18 loss to the Steelers.
The offense is the most criticized line of the Bucs, it is number 20 among 32 teams with an average of 20.2 points scored per game; last season he was second-best in the NFL with 30.1 points converted per game.
Until week six Tampa Bay has three wins and three losses, the same mark as the Atlanta Falcons, with whom it shares the top of the NFC South division.
Asked if Tom Brady is focused on the team, Todd Bowles answered bluntly.
“Yes, you don’t have to worry too much about it.”
In week seven of the 2022 season, the Buccaneers will visit the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
