Tom Brady hasn’t taken a snap for his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but has already had two miscues with his new hometown. Both are fairly benign, and Brady made light of them.
Brady signed as a free agent with Tampa Bay in March, the two-year deal worth $50 million. He left New England after 20 years, winning six Super Bowls.
After announcing he was a Buccaneer, Brady moved into former New York Yankee Hall of Famer Derek Jeter’s mansion in the Davis Island section of Tampa Bay. Brady recently moved into the 30,000 square-foot home, which Jeter had custom built, telling Howard Stern it is temporary.
“I am going to stay here for awhile,” Brady said. “I had to get here on really short notice. He’s (Jeter) been a friend of mine, so we talked, and it all worked out. Perfect for me here to get started here.”
Brady did mention it took a little adjusting to one feature of the home.
“I forgot people could drive up to your house,” Brady said. “Here they can pull right up to the back of the house. Derek did a pretty good job of screening it. I am a little bit of an introvert. I feel like my house is my place I can relax. When you are outside the house, you understand everything with being me… in the backyard there’s a lot of boats that have pulled up and people at the front.”
Brady’s New Hometown No Walk in the Park
Brady has been learning the nuances of his new hometown and last week ran afoul of the law. The 42-year-old was working out in a local park when a member of the parks department saw him and told him it was closed because of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Tampa Bay mayor Jane Castor told fellow St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman during a joint press conference on Monday about the worker spotting Brady and informing him he couldn’t be in the park.
The city’s Twitter account then took a good-natured jab at its newest resident.
“Sorry @TomBrady! Our @tampaparksrec team can’t wait to welcome you and our entire community back with even bigger smiles — until then, stay safe and stay home as much as you can to help flatten the curve.â€
Different Way to Meet the Neighbors
Before that faux pas, Brady committed another one the first week of April when he was supposed to meet Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich at his house. Only problem, Brady walked into the wrong home. He strolled into neighbor David Kramer’s home instead of Leftwich’s.
“I literally was just sitting here and I watch this tall guy just walk into my house,†Kramer told TMZ Sports. “He didn’t even look at me, he just like dropped his duffel bags down on the floor and just kind of like looked up at me and I’ll never forget the look on his face. “He just goes, ‘Am I in the wrong house?’â€
While there should be no problem adjusting to the Buccaneers, it seems Brady still has a learning curve with his new hometown.