Tom Brady’s absence from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' training camp this week comes as no surprise to the team, head coach Todd Bowles told reporters Thursday.
Bowles explained that the veteran quarterback would be absent from the team through the Bucs’ second preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on Aug. 20 as he takes time to "deal with some personal things."
"This is something we talked about before training camp started," Bowles said. "We allotted this time because he wanted to get in and get chemistry with the guys and go through two weeks of training camp, knowing he wasn't going to play the first two games.
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He continued: "He didn't want to take away reps from Blaine [Gabbert] and Kyle [Trask], as well as [Ryan Griffin] going into these next two games, knowing it's something he needs to handle."
When pressed further if it was a matter of health, Bowles said it was a "personal issue."
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Bucs general manager Jason Licht told WDAE on Thursday that Brady would be ready to go for Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys.
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"He'll be ready," he said with a smirk. "We're not at all concerned about that."
Brady’s lengthy absence follows two missed practices last week — one on his birthday and another on Friday, with reports citing "a personal matter" as the reason.