Wherever Tom Brady goes, controversy will follow. That's what comes with being one of the most popular athletes in the world. Needless to say, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were far from the exception.
According to multiple reports, Brady wasn't satisfied with Bruce Arians' ways. Allegedly, he didn't like how he prepared for Sunday games or how he undermined him and OC Byron Leftwich.
Those rumors only became stronger once Arians announced that he was retiring shortly after Brady confirmed his comeback. However, the former HC still affirms that everything's smooth between the two.
Tom Brady Buys $50,000 Watch For Bruce Arians
“Tom just sent me a picture (Sunday). He got a present for me,” Arians told the Tampa Bay Times. “It’s a $50,000 watch. He says he’s bringing it to me. Who does that if we hate each other? As soon as he’s back in town, we’ll play golf.”
Even so, and especially considering the circumstances of his sudden retiring, Bruce Arians knows that the narrative just isn't going to go away. People will forever believe they truly hate each other:
“It’s never going to go away, no matter what anyone says,” Arians said. “It’s a national narrative that they think they know, but they don’t.”
Arians Wanted To Retire After The 2020 Season
Then again, Arians wanted to be on the outs for quite some time now. Apparently, he was ready to walk away from the NFL again in 2020 shortly after winning the Super Bowl in Brady's first season in Tampa:
“Yeah, and I couldn’t,” Arians said. “I couldn’t guarantee who would get the job. I thought I’d guaranteed it in Arizona (when he retired after the 2018 season), and it didn’t happen and five guys didn’t have jobs. This way, I guaranteed 31 families were taken care of. That was big for me — and her.”
At the end of the day, chances are that we'll never know what actually went down between Brady and Arians. Perhaps they love each other, perhaps Brady just hates his guts. But if that's how he treats the people he dislikes, then I can only imagine the presents his friends get.
