Tampa Bay Buccaneers ‘not concerned’ by Tom Brady’s continued absence from the team

By Ben Church and Ben Morse, CNN

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles says he’s not concerned by Tom Brady‘s absence from the team but admits he cannot yet put a date on his star’s return.

Last week, it was announced that the 45-year-old quarterback would take some time away to “deal with personal things” and would not be back until after the team’s second preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on August 20.

“We’ll see. We’ll talk about it next week. I’m not concerned about it right now,” Bowles told reporters when asked when Brady might return.

“We’re trying to practice against Tennessee and play a game. I said sometime after Tennessee.

“There is no definitive date for me but we’ll check on it, we’ll keep in touch and we’ll find out.”

It’s unclear why Brady, who initially announced his retirement in February only to later reverse his decision, is taking the excused absence, but Bowles said it was a plan that had been in place from before preseason training camp began.

Since joining the Bucs in 2020 from the New England Patriots, Brady has helped to dramatically improve the team’s fortunes.

A perennial underachiever before his arrival, the Bucs won the Super Bowl in Brady’s first season at the helm, earning the legendary QB his seventh Super Bowl ring.

The team fell short of expectations last season, but many are predicting a run at the Super Bowl title again this year, even with their talisman currently out of action.

“We just work on our practice with Tennessee. Tom [Brady] is not involved with the coaches,” Bowles added.

The Bucs start their regular-season against the Dallas Cowboys on September 11.

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