Tom Brady disses fellow QB in interview teaser, but whom was he talking about?
Tom Brady wasn't holding back in his latest sit-down interview.
On Monday, HBO dropped a teaser for an upcoming episode of the LeBron James-produced talk show series "The Shop: Uninterrupted," and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback used some colorful language to diss a fellow NFL player while discussing his free-agency period in the spring of 2020.
"One of the teams, they weren't interested at the very end," Brady said in the preview clip. "I was thinking, you're sticking with that motherf---er?!"
Brady’s brutally honest admission caused a stir on social media as the sports world began debating about whom the reigning Super Bowl MVP was referring to.
Could the seven-time Super Bowl champion have been taking a shot at San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo? That’s the internet’s most popular theory, as "Jimmy G" instantly jolted to the top of Twitter’s trending topics list.
In the past, Brady – a Bay Area native – has been linked to the 49ers, and back in 2020, rumors swirled for weeks that Brady could be headed West. In fact, 49ers general manager John Lynch previously confirmed that the organization had discussions about pursuing Brady but ultimately decided against dropping Garoppolo for the 43-year-old veteran, which reportedly made Brady feel some type of way.
"Brady made it clear through various channels that the team of his childhood would be the team of his future, if the 49ers wanted. The 49ers discussed it, but in the end, the team was committed to Jimmy Garoppolo," ESPN’s Seth Wickersham reported.
It seems possible that Brady felt comfortable speaking so candidly about Garoppolo, who played backup to Brady in New England for four seasons before Bill Belichick traded him to the 49ers in October 2017. Or at least that's what some observers seem to think.
However, there were teams other than San Francisco rumored to be interested in Brady when he was on the open market, including the Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders, which has some thinking Brady could've been talking about Ryan Tannehill, Mitch Trubisky or Derek Carr.
On the other hand, not everyone is convinced, with some casting the net a little wider.
Ah, so many conspiracies.
Perhaps Brady will solve this mystery and elaborate on his comments — whomever they're about — in the new episode of "The Shop," which drops Friday on HBO. Brady will also be joined by three-time NBA champion Draymond Green, comedian and writer Chelsea Handler, actor and rapper Kid Cudi and SpringHill Company CMO Paul Rivera, so chances are there will be no shortage of revealing commentary across the board.
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