New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady reportedly won't be in attendance for the team's voluntary organized team activities
Monday
A.J. Green Jersey , according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.He isn't the only player whose OTA status remains up in the air:?Ian Rapoport @RapSheetAt this
point, it?? not clear if #Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski will show for OTAs, as his
contract is still an issue. But one source said the expectation is that Tom
Brady and Gronk will be there for minicamp in June when it?? mandatory.It's
unclear exactly why Brady is skipping?OTAs, but it may be a statement of some
sort:?Albert Breer @AlbertBreerBrady missing the start of OTAs is significant.
Even back when he was living in LA, he'd be here for this part of the program,
which is basically when football practices begin. Rare that a starting QB
anywhere misses this piece of it.mike freeman @mikefreemanNFLBottom line: Tom
Brady will be quarterbacking the Patriots next season.But if you don?? think
Brady isn?? making a statement by skipping offseason workouts he usually
attends, you??e a fool.Ben?Volin?of the?Boston Globe?called Brady's absence
"glaring," while?Jeff Howe?of The Athletic wrote: "The reigning MVP, who turns
41 in August and has two seasons remaining on his contract, has been open to the
idea of reworking his deal
Mike Hughes Vikings Jersey , and it appears he'd like the team to make the first move with those discussions."There is also the matter of the reported rift
between head coach Bill Belichick and?Brady?? trainer, Alex Guerrero, with
ESPN's?Seth?Wickersham?reporting in January that Belichick no longer
allows?Guerrero on the sidelines or at team headquarters. Per that report, many
Patriots players became torn on who to train with:?Guerrero, who is?Brady's guy,
or the team's in-house training staff.It's also fair to note that Brady's
training regiment will be different than a 22-year-old rookie's?training
regiment.As Howe wrote: "Brady has also publicly stated his desire to recharge
in a different way this offseason. He has pointed toward the growing age of his
family and a desire to spend additional time with them outside of the regular
season's rigid demands."It's possible Brady is looking to extend his offseason
as long as possible to reduce wear and tear.Certainly, he has managed his health
well later in his career, and he was elite in 2017.?He threw for?4,577 yards, 32
touchdowns and eight interceptions while leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl.
While the Pats lost to the Philadelphia?Eagles
Cheap Jimmy Garoppolo Jersey , it wasn't Brady's fault, as he threw for?505 yard and three touchdowns.Even in his 40s, Brady remains arguably the top
quarterback in football. Whether he's making a point by skipping?OTAs?or simply
wants more time off to allow his body to recover, staying on the same page as
Brady remains key for the Patriots this offseason. Jameis Winston’s three-game
suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy predictably was a hot
topic of discussion when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reported for training camp.
That is, except for the quarterback himself.
The fourth-year pro, who’ll miss the start to a season in which the Bucs are hoping to end a decade-long playoff drought, was not among three players the
team made available for interviews Wednesday at One Buccaneer Place.
Instead, Winston and coach Dirk Koetter are scheduled to speak publicly about the suspension for the first time after practice Thursday.
Meanwhile, teammates Lavonte David, Mike Evans and Ali Marpet expressed support for the 24-year-old quarterback
Vontaze Burfict Bengals Jersey , who was disciplined after the league’s investigated an accusation that Winston groped a female Uber driver during a
ride in Scottsdale, Arizona, in March 2016.
David said Winston, who was drafted No. 1 overall in 2015 despite questions about his behavior in college at Florida State, made a ”silly mistake back in
the day” but that the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner isn’t a bad person.
”He knows what he’s done. He’s going to learn from it because from whenever it happened to now, he’s matured a lot,” David said, adding Winston is engaged
to be married to his long-time girlfriend and recently became a father.
”It happened a long time ago. It was a bad decision by him,” the linebacker, entering his seventh pro season
Cheap Brian O'Neill Jersey , said. ”I’m 100 percent sure he’s learned from it.”
The NFL concluded Winston violated the league’s personal conduct policy by touching the Uber driver ”in an inappropriate and sexual manner without her
consent.”
The quarterback apologized for the incident in a statement released on Facebook last month, but has not spoken publicly about it since the NFL
announced its findings.
During his college career at Florida State, a fellow student said Winston raped her but he was never charged.
The university settled a Title IX lawsuit over its handling of the allegations with Winston’s accuser, Erica Kinsman, in January 2016 for $1.7
million.
Evans said Winston is ”one of my best friends.” And while the receiver added ”obviously I was hurt by” what happened, he reiterated he remains supportive and
is confident backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick can help the Bucs stay afloat
during the suspension.
Tampa Bay has missed the playoffs 10 consecutive season and hasn’t won a postseason game since the club’s 2002 Super Bowl run.
Marpet, an offensive lineman who was part of Winston’s draft class, said he learned of the suspension from the quarterback himself.
”We talked, and his mindset is how can he be the best teammate moving forward. I think he’s doing that. We all support him. We’re one family,” the
fourth-year guard said.
”For the first three games
Saquon Barkley Jersey , we’ll have a different quarterback,” Marpet added. ”But again, I think we’ll do a really nice job. We believe in Fitzy, and there
are a lot of other talented players that can step up.”
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