TAMPA, Fla. — The latest viral Tom Brady tweet featured the seven-time Super Bowl champion brandishing a tattoo of Bucs coach Bruce Arians on his outer left knee.
It was a PhotoShop job, of course. But his universally heralded work ethic, according to Joel Glazer, is no mirage.
To the contrary, the Bucs owner/co-chairman on Wednesday credited Brady with almost single-handedly changing the franchise’s culture.
“You heard stories and watched him from afar for many years,” Glazer told reporters during a Zoom session. “You heard things about him, but you never really realize something until you’re around somebody or with somebody, and everything I heard was absolutely accurate. ... He works harder than anybody I’ve ever seen. His leadership is unbelievable, and his relationship with everybody and just the person he is — the whole package.”
Naturally, the subject of Brady emerged as a prominent one during Glazer’s de facto state-of-the-franchise session, which coincided with the NFL virtual league meetings.
Among the myriad topics Glazer addressed: His outlook for the 2021 season as it pertains to fans at Raymond James Stadium (“We’re preparing for normality,” he said), the possibility of fans attending training camp (in the discussion phase), last year’s uniform change (very well received, he indicated), and whether the re-signing of nearly every prominent Bucs free agent will hinder the franchise’s future (he doesn’t think so).
But he saved his greatest gushing for the eventual Hall of Fame quarterback who enjoyed one of the most prosperous seasons of his 20-year career at age 43.
“You hear it, you kind of wonder can someone really change the culture that much? Absolutely,” Glazer said. “Again, people lead by example. And when you see somebody who has been in the league that long, had that much success and is still working as hard as anybody, that rubs off.”
