The optics surrounding Tom Brady’s getaway trip to New York this weekend are not great following the Bucs’ loss to the Steelers on Sunday afternoon.
Friday night, Brady flew up to New York, to attend Robert Kraft’s surprise wedding. Brady then arrived in Pittsburgh on Sunday, reportedly missing walkthroughs.
The Bucs then laid an egg against the Steelers, as Tampa Bay was shocked by Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon.
Brady, though, didn’t seem to pay much credence to the idea that his trip was a distraction.
The seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback said his team just didn’t play well enough.
“We didn’t earn it,” Brady told reporters. “Didn’t earn the win, so it’s a game of earning it and it’s a game of playing well and performing well, and we’re just not doing a good job of that. I think we’ve done it for six weeks. I think we’re all playing less than what we’re capable of, and we’ve all got to look at ourselves in the mirror and figure out why.”
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles had a similar message.
Bowles was asked if Brady’s weekend trip was a factor in Sunday’s loss.
“Absolutely not,” Bowles said.
Do fans buy it, though?
“Ask Gisele. That’s a Better source,” one fan joked.
“I’d say running it 21 times for 3 yards a carry is a bigger problem. But who knows,” one fan added.
“He’s been good at separating lately,” another fan joked.
The Bucs fell to 3-3 on the year following Sunday’s loss, while the Steelers improved to 2-4.