Tom Brady can be the “ultimate teammate” to Antonio Brown and help him feel “comfortable,” says Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians.
Brown was officially activated to the Buccaneers’ playing squad from the suspended list having served his eight-game suspension for multiple violations of the league’s personal conduct policy.
The wide receiver is on course to make his season debut in Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.
The 43-year-old quarterback Brady, who played with Brown during their time at the New England Patriots, has offered to let the 32-year-old wide receiver live with him while he finds a place to live in Florida.
“Antonio is a good friend of mine and again, we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well over the years,” Brady recently told Westwood One’s Jim Gray.
“He’s just getting settled and I know he’s looking for places, but it’s just nice to be able to have him around,” added Brady.
“We’re getting to work and he likes to be integrated into what we’re doing. (It’s) a big transition for him moving across the state really not knowing anyone.
“Again, just trying to be a great teammate and help someone out who is a friend of mine.”
And Arians says that Brady helping Brown reacclimatize to the sport will help the wide receiver focus on being productive.
“He (Brown) has to handle his own business off the field,” Arians said during a press conference. “On the field, you find your role, accept it, embrace it, make sure you’re making the right plays and we’ll get you the ball.
“He’s (Brady) publicly talked about trying to help a teammate [and] doing whatever it takes to get him comfortable so they can focus on football. That’s Tom – he’s the ultimate teammate.”
In June, Brown was sentenced to two years of probation after pleading no contest to charges stemming from an incident in which he allegedly assaulted a man at his South Florida home.
A former offseason athletic trainer filed a lawsuit against Brown in 2019 accusing him of rape and assault in 2017 and 2018.
Brown denied the allegations and said he would fight to clear his name. The NFL said at the time there was an ongoing investigation into Brown’s conduct.
‘He’ll have his role’
That case is set for trial in December in Broward County, Florida, according to NBC’s Pro Football Talk website. Brown’s legal representatives didn’t immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Brown spent the first nine years of his careers with the Pittsburgh Steelers before joining the Oakland Raiders ahead of the 2019 season. He was released before playing a regular season game.
He signed with the Patriots soon after and played just one game – catching four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown from current Buccaneers quarterback Brady – before being released.
Brown officially signed for the Buccaneers on October 27 and he was able to attend meetings and work with the team’s strength coaches last week while finishing his suspension. He was able to start practicing with his new team on Wednesday.
And although he’s been away from the NFL for a while, Arians predicts Brown will “have his role” on Sunday against the Saints.
“We’ll see how much we can get him taught,” Arians said. “And the first practice will be a walk-through because we’ve got a short week coming off Monday night, so we basically miss a practice this week on Wednesday because of the short week, so it’ll be a walk-through practice and basically all learning.
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“He’ll have his role – it could be 10 plays. It could be 35 plays. I wouldn’t anticipate 60 plays, for sure, but we’ll just see how it goes.”
A seven-time Pro Bowler, Brown has 841 receptions for 11,263 yards and 75 touchdowns over his career. He had in excess of 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns every season from 2013-18.
