NFL

Bruce Arians calls BS to report claiming Tom Brady’s relationship with him soured

“I mean, that’s such bulls---."

Tom Brady retirement
A recent report suggested Tom Brady and Bruce Arians didn't see eye to eye. (AP Photo/Mark LoMoglio, File)

By Conor Roche

2 minutes to read

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians isn’t taking too kindly to a recent report that Tom Brady’s relationship with him soured by the end of the 2021 season.

“I mean, that’s such bulls—‚’’ Arians told the Tampa Bay Times‘ Rick Stroud on Saturday. “That’s what pisses me off. I guess probably [Buccaneers offensive coordinator] Byron [Leftwich] could corroborate this, too.’’

The report, which came from former Patriots offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger, said that Brady didn’t see eye to eye with Arians on offensive game planning. Ohrnberger added that after Brady and Leftwich would work on the upcoming week’s game plan, Arians would come in following his daily rehab for his Achilles injury and use a red pen to cross off the work they’d done. Brady and Leftwich felt undermined by Arians doing that, according to Ohrnberger.

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Arians denied multiple details of Ohrnberger’s report.

“First of all, I don’t rehab my Achilles in the morning,’’ Arians said. “I will go over the game plans and add things, but I don’t delete anything. I don’t have to because they do such a good job.

“I’ll see some things, add some things. It’s an awesome collaboration, one of the best I’ve ever been around.’’

Arians also laughed at the notion that he used a red pen to cross off things from the game plan Brady and Leftwich reportedly set.

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“I never heard of that one,’’ Arians said. “That was the best one ever. That’s pretty graphic to not know what the [expletive] you’re talking about.”

While Arians denied Ohrnberger’s report, the former player turned analyst doubled down on his reporting, calling his sources “impregnable.”

“Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich and Tom Brady were reportedly responsible for the entirety of the offensive game plan,” Ohrnberger wrote in the first of numerous tweets on Saturday.

“Per my earlier report, Head Coach Bruce Arians would at times take red pen to that offensive plan… figuratively speaking, of course. There were apparently major disagreements between Leftwich and Brady on strategy, especially regarding the run game.

“At a certain point during the 2021 season, Brady successfully seized control of the offensive game plan, adjusting play calls he didn’t believe would work. Additionally, there was a feeling of resentment inside the building toward Arians.

“While others worked around the clock in Tampa to build a winner, Head Football Coach Bruce Arians had a much lighter work schedule.”

Just weeks after he announced his retirement on Feb. 1, there’s already been speculation that Brady isn’t done playing and that if he does return, it won’t be in Tampa.

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But Arians doesn’t buy it, telling Stroud: “I don’t know if there’s really a story there.”

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