NFL conspiracy theory: Is Tom Brady missing the preseason because he is filming ‘Masked Singer’?
Tom Brady requested a leave of absence for personal reasons from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the internet has theories about what this reason could be.
When you’re the GOAT, every little move you make becomes a topic of speculation. This is very true of Tom Brady, and this time the rumors are about why he is away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion had requested a leave of absence to attend to an unspecified personal matter before camp began, and for now, head coach Todd Bowles says there is no definite date set for the quarterback’s return.
This conspicuous absence well into the preseason when the Bucs should be working on their chemistry and teamwork sparked one particular theory that has caught the internet’s imagination (particularly Twitter and NFL Reddit)- that Brady is absent because he is busy recording his appearance as a contestant on the Fox show The Masked Singer. The program is a reality singing competition which features celebrities whose identities are concealed.
Theorists do some internet sleuthing
Though the theory sounds random and farfetched, those who thought it up have a few facts on which it is based.
First off, Brady signed a gigantic $375 million contract to be an NFL analyst and a brand ambassador with Fox, the network which produces The Masked Singer. As it turns out, Joe Buck, a former Fox sports analyst, appeared on the singing competition before he moved to ESPN, setting a precedent for a Brady guesting.
It is also mentioned that there was filming for the contest scheduled for Aug.12-20, almost exactly the dates when Brady said he would be absent. Also, Aug. 20 is the date as the preseason game of the Buccaneers and the Tennessee Titans, which the 45-year-old said he would definitely miss.
As previously said, this is just a theory that football fans are having fun talking about. The mystery of The Masked Singer appearance will resolve itself soon enough when the episodes of the latest season come out. And who knows? Maybe we will all get a chance to see if the legendary quarterback can sing as well as he can throw.