TAMPA, Fla. — If there was any concern about how Tom Brady is handling the transition to life in Tampa Bay, considering he was kicked out of a public park and accidentally entered the wrong home in his first month here, he set the record straight Sunday, even making light of the park incident.
“I’m so happy to be in Tampa Bay and I wanted to say, thank you guys for welcoming me and my family into your community with open arms — outside of getting kicked out of the park the other day,” Brady said in a video posted by the Buccaneers on Twitter.
“I’m so excited to be a Buc. We have an incredibly exciting season ahead,” Brady added. “I can’t wait ’til we can get together as a team, start our practices and start working hard to improve. There’s a lot of work to be put in between now and the start of the season.
“But I’m looking forward to seeing you guys at Raymond James [Stadium] in a couple short months. I can promise you that. So stay safe everyone and let’s go Bucs!”
Brady was working out in a downtown Tampa public park recently when he was told by a city employee that he could not be there. Florida is currently under stay-at-home orders, but residents are encouraged to get outdoors and exercise. Like all of the City of Tampa’s public parks, this park is currently closed.
Mayor Jane Castor reached out to make amends by issuing a lighthearted apology in an open letter to the quarterback Saturday.
“Tom, my apologies for the miscommunication when you arrived — not the best first impression,” the mayor wrote in a letter she posted on social media on Saturday. “But given my law enforcement background, I couldn’t help but have someone investigate the sighting of a G.O.A.T running wild in one of our beautiful city parks.
“No harm, no foul and thanks for being a good sport.”
A TMZ report also surfaced last week where a man said Brady accidentally entered his home through an unlocked front door, instead of the home of offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.
A source familiar with the situation confirmed that Brady was attempting to pick up some materials from Leftwich’s residence and inadvertently entered the front door of Leftwich’s neighbor’s home.