After saying health wasn't an issue, Bruce Arians cites health as an issue for his retirement
Something always seemed strange about the surprise retirement of Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians in late March 2022, not long after the surprise unretirement of quarterback Tom Brady.
Recent comments from Arians about the decision bolster the notion that something was a little off.
As noted by JoeBucsFan.com, Arians insisted at the time he retired that health had nothing to do with the decision. Recently, however, he said health was an issue.
“For me, it was time; health had a little bit to do with it,” Arians said on The Rock Stops Here podcast. “I tore my Achilles, you know, that year before. Standing on the sidelines was getting harder with some issues just being out there for four hours standing. I just thought it was time, and I didn’t like Todd [Bowles] and Byron [Leftwich] getting passed over that year. You know, I thought they both deserved to be head coaches. You know, so a lot of things went into that decision. When we did it, it was just I think perfect timing for all of us.”
Here's what Arians said about his retirement when he retired, with the job going to Bowles: “Before you start thinking this is about my health, don’t. This is the best I have felt in many years."
I've always believed that Brady came back with the implicit understanding that Arians would step aside. The fact that inconsistent stories have been provided by Arians does nothing to debunk the theory that the delayed retirement by Arians was tied to the delayed unretirement by Brady.
