Buccaneers LB Implies Team May Have Tampered With Brady Prior To Signing Him

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David recently on the Rich Eisen Show were he revealed something about former Bucs quarterback Tom Brady that raised some eyebrows.

David said during his exit interview in 2020 with then head coach Bruce Arians that Arians told him that Brady could be joining the team.

“I just remember in the exit meeting, talking to Coach BA,” David stated, via JoeBucsFan.com. “You know, you have a one-on-one with the head coach. I just remember him saying, ‘If we don’t get Jameis [Winston] back, we are going to get someone in here for you to get us over the hump . . . get us to the Super Bowl.“And he literally said this, ‘And it might be The GOAT.’”

Rut-row, this could be construed as a violation of the league’s tampering rules. While just mentioning the team might land Brady isn’t considered tampering, it does line up with other reports that the Buccaneers (and other teams) may have been targeting (and contacting) Brady prematurely.

Remember Arians talking about pursuing Brady during the combine prior to signing him? Only to say after they signed him that hadn’t talk to him prior to the start of that year’s league year? Then there’s that whole Dolphins thing, and the reports of Brady exploring his options while still under contract with the Patriots.

Definitely some smoke around all of these. But aside from the Dolphins being punished for it, not a lot on the other reports

At the end of the day the league appears satisfied that nothing else nefarious had gone on by Brady or any of the other reported teams. Or the league just didn’t have enough evidence to move forward.