TAMPA, FL. – The Bucs held a joint press conference with new Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and outgoing head coach Bruce Arians. Arians along with owner Joel Glazer and GM Jason Licht strongly denied any bad blood between Arians and quarterback Tom Brady.
They all said Arians was planning on retiring after this coming season and now was the right time to hand the reins over to Bowles.
“We’ve had a great relationship,” Arians said. “I mean all of the players and there are a few of them here, everyone of them’s gotten cussed out, including him (Brady). So that’s just part of me, ya know? That’s nothing new. But we have a great relationship. As soon as he retired, I think we texted every week. Where you at? What are you doing? When are you gonna come play golf? When are you gonna get back down this way? And so people gotta write s—and it couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Brady did attend the press conference, sat in the first row off to the side, but left once the media session started with reporters doing interviews. Brady did issue a statement on his social media.
“Thank you BA for all you have done for me and our team. You are an incredible man and coach and it was a privilege to play for you.You are a true NFL legend and a pioneer for all the work you have done to make the league more diverse and inclusive.”
Glazer said you can’t believe everything you see and read on Twitter or Instagram. Licht said once Tom Brady told them he was coming back is when Arians told Licht that now might be a good time to make defensive coordinator Todd Bowles the head coach.
Licht and the Glazer family agreed and Bowles was told by Arians that he was going to be the new head coach of the Bucs.
“A number of people have already asked, why are you stepping away from a chance to go to the Super Bowl?” Arians said. “Because I don’t give a s—about the Hall of Fame. Succession is way more important to me. This has been my dream for a long time.”
Arians will stay on in a consulting role.
Glazer announced the Arians will be going into the Bucs Ring of Honor. Bowles says he’s in a great situation and learned a lot of what not to do when he was the head coach of the NY Jets.
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