NFL won't punish Tom Brady for meeting with Buccaneers OC Byron Leftwich

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NFL teams hoping that Tom Brady would be punished for recently meeting with Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich are going to be disappointed.

The league has concluded there was no violation made by any involved party, including Brady.

CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reported last Friday that teams were "miffed" by Brady's interactions with Bucs staff.

Brady went to Leftwich's house earlier this month, but before meeting with the Bucs OC, the veteran quarterback accidentally walked into a neighbor's house first.

Coaches and players, under league rules, aren't allowed to have football meetings before the team's offseason program begins. Tampa Bay's offseason program had not yet started when Brady met with Leftwich at his house. Florida also instituted a safer-at-home order April 3, before the Brady/Leftwich meeting.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk added some context to the situation:

There’s been a palpable sense in league circles that the Buccaneers are playing fast and loose with the rules when it comes to both the courtship of Tom Brady and the effort to get him up to speed for the 2020 season. And it’s safe to say that people with other teams who complained about Brady meeting with Leftwich will not be placated by the league’s statement, especially since some believe that any meeting with a coach before the offseason program starts, especially away from the team’s facility, violates the rules.

The Buccaneers will have to get used to being in the spotlight now that Brady and his former Patriots teammate, tight end Rob Gronkowski, are the most popular players on Tampa Bay's roster.

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