The GOAT is GONE in Tampa -- at least for the next roughly two weeks -- the Buccaneers revealed on Thursday that Tom Brady is now out of training camp while handling a "personal issue."
Todd Bowles was just peppered with questions about his star QB -- who left training camp Thursday and is not expected to return until sometime in late August -- but the Bucs head coach declined to get into specifics of it all.
Instead, Bowles would only say Brady is out dealing "with some personal things."
"It's something he needed to handle," Bowles said. "We trust him. We talked about it. It was scheduled way before training camp and he will not be here until after Tennessee."
The Bucs are slated to play the Titans in a preseason contest in Nashville on Aug. 20 -- which means a return date for Brady won't come until at least Aug 21.
And, it seems the 45-year-old's absence could extend longer than that, 'cause Bowles wouldn't guarantee the signal-caller would be under center for their season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11.
But, Bowles did say his confidence is "pretty high" that Brady will be there.
"It's a personal issue," Bowles said. "That's all I can tell you."
Highlights of Tom Brady and @juliojones_11 against the #Dolphins DBs in joint practice.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 10, 2022
Including beating Xavien Howard on 1-on-1 and a 30-yard gain against Noah Igbinoghene down the sideline.pic.twitter.com/uzxxFlqUbc
Brady didn't appear to be hampered by any injuries at all while attending Bucs practices earlier this week -- throwing completions and touchdowns with regularity throughout the workouts.
He also took time out on Thursday to pen a congratulations message on his social media to his former Patriots teammate James White, who retired earlier in the day.