NFL inquiry finds that Tom Brady didn’t violate rules visiting offensive coordinator’s house
Despite concerns from other teams, the league says Brady didn't break offseason rules.
When Tom Brady accidentally walked into the home of Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich’s neighbor, the initial result was merely an innocuous — and humorous — story.
But upon further examination, it appeared Brady might have actually violated an NFL rule by visiting the home of a coach.
As CBS reporter Jason La Confora noted shortly after the incident became known, other teams were “miffed” at Brady seeming to ignore NFL offseason rules. The league has specific provisions regarding how much contact players and coaches can have during the offseason.
However, upon further review it seems Brady and Leftwich didn’t violate any rules.
NFL insider Tom Pelissero shared the news via Twitter on Tuesday:
Other teams raised the issue with the NFL, since Brady’s visit to Leftwich’s house — revealed because he accidentally walked into a neighbor’s house first — occurred during the “dead period” prior to the virtual period of the offseason. But the league says no violation occurred https://t.co/ijZCgva5oB
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 28, 2020
“It was a brief personal visit and Tom picked up the playbook,” said NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy, according to Pelissero.
Brady signed with the Buccaneers in March on a two-year deal after 20 years with the Patriots. Leftwich, a former first-round pick by the Jaguars out of Marshall in 2003, is two years younger than his new quarterback.
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