Tom Brady is already having an impact in his new home of Tampa after the quarterback he was seen working out in a closed park during the Covid-19 shutdown.
Brady made news last month when he ended his 20-year career with the New England Patriots to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, Tampa mayor Jane Castor said on Monday that park staff had come across Brady during a patrol to check residents were following Florida’s stay at home orders.
“I got to tell you this story, too. Now, I always tell people, I’m not one to gossip so you didn’t hear this from me,” Castor said during a Facebook Live appearance with her fellow Florida mayor, Rick Kriseman of St Petersburg. “Our parks are closed down, so a lot of our parks staff they patrol around just to make sure that people aren’t doing contact sports and things like that, and saw an individual working out in one of our downtown parks. And she went over to tell him that it was closed and it was Tom Brady.”
Outdoor exercise is allowed in Florida under the stay at home order but many public areas such as parks and beaches are closed. While some Florida beaches have reopened, they remain closed in Tampa.
Sorry @TomBrady! Our @tampaparksrec team can’t wait to welcome you and our entire community back with even bigger smiles -- until then, stay safe and stay home as much as you can to help flatten the curve. https://t.co/qRhReqqdK0
— City of Tampa (@CityofTampa) April 21, 2020
“Sorry @TomBrady! Our @tampaparksrec team can’t wait to welcome you and our entire community back with even bigger smiles – until then, stay safe and stay home as much as you can to help flatten the curve,” the City of Tampa tweeted.
NFL offseason workouts had been due to start this week. Brady is known for his obsessive preparation and has often flown out teammates to private practice facilities so they can work out together before the new season. Under the Covid-19 shutdown, teams will be conducting virtual workouts over video calls.
