Bucs owner Joel Glazer remained hopeful of Tom Brady return
PALM BEACH — The light the Bucs left on for Tom Brady shined through the figurative dormers.
Which is to say, the illumination started right at the top. Even Joel Glazer held out hope of the GOAT reneging on retirement.
“You went through a lot of different emotions,” the Bucs co-owner said Monday evening as the first full day of the annual NFL meetings wound down.
“So, the first stage, where you just kind of felt the finality of the whole thing. But then as time goes on, you think about it and you realize that there’s a lot of emotion involved in a season and it’s painful at the end of the season. I know how I feel at the end of a season, so you think about it, and you know how competitive Tom Brady is, that there’s always a chance.
“Then he had time to reflect and think about things, and we’re just thrilled to have him back.”
Naturally, that sentiment is shared by the fan base, much of which again may not be able to see Brady in person in 2022. On Monday, chief operating officer Brian Ford indicated the team is “very close” to again selling out its season tickets for a second straight season despite a requirement for season-ticket buyers to commit to a two-year purchase.
That slate of attractive 2022 home games will include the Packers. Ford also confirmed Monday that the team “protected” its home contest this fall against Green Bay, meaning Aaron Rodgers and Co. won’t be the Bucs’ foe for their 2022 game in Germany.
The complete schedule, with dates, should be released in early May.
“That, to me, of everything, is the most wonderful part, because that’s what it’s all about,” Glazer said of the sold-out crowds inside Raymond James Stadium in 2021 and presumably 2022.
“I know what drove me to be a fan of the game, it’s when you go into a packed stadium, the place is rocking and everybody’s into it, and the whole community’s into it and enthused. That’s what you live for. It’s been wonderful to see, it’s been wonderful to see all the Buccaneer jerseys around, and the enthusiasm and younger people and new fans.”
In a brief interview with local reporters, Glazer was far more reserved about exactly when Brady informed him of his desire to return to Tampa Bay for a third season.
While it was widely presumed Brady told the owners while a guest at a soccer match involving Manchester United (also owned by the Glazers) a day before his March 13 social-media announcement, Glazer said that wasn’t the case.
“It wasn’t there (at the match),” he said, “but we knew soon before everybody else.”
And hope — even a sliver of it — was rewarded.
“Having Tom Brady back is unbelievable,” Glazer said.
“He’s been unbelievable for our franchise, as everyone knows. And I’ve never been around anybody with the tireless work ethic, the leadership, the person he is and having done it for so long. So having him back is the greatest news I heard all offseason.”
Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls
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