TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Internet sleuths were intent on finding the whereabouts of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady on Friday, and one user on reddit has a theory.
Brady has been away from the team for a “personal matter” since Aug. 11.
On Thursday, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said he there is no definitive date for Brady’s return.
Reddit user “CANN0NFIRE” posted to the Dynasty Fantasy Football subreddit on Friday with their take, in a post titled “Stop freaking out about Brady, he’s just off filming for the Masked Singer.”
The user began the post by explaining the basics, like Brady’s absence and the premise of the show. On “The Masked Singer,” contestants keep their identities a secret throughout the tapings.
“It was also explained in those reports that the absence was known about and approved in advance by the team, which would also make sense,” CANN0NFIRE said in the post.
The Athletics’ Greg Aumann reported that Brady’s absence was planned before training camp started and said he is “not worried” about the absence affecting Brady’s ability to play at a high level this season.
The user argues Brady could have agreed to be on the show before announcing he was returning to football this season, but admits that thought is fully speculation, so they decided to do some research.
CANN0NFIRE notes that Brady signed a deal in May to work for Fox Sports as a lead analyst after finishing with the Buccaneers this season. “The Masked Singer” airs on Fox.
The reddit thread then cites “the smoking gun,” which is a website where people can sign up to be in the audience for tapings of “The Masked Singer,” which begin Saturday.
The user does note that tapings were scheduled for when Buccaneers training camp began, but not all contestants are on all episodes.
With all of that information in hand, the internet went wild with speculation and theories, including comments on the reddit thread itself, which now has more than 600 comments, as well as on Twitter.
“I don’t even care if this doesn’t turn out to be true, this is as a concept is extremely funny,” one commenter said.
The thread also began to gain steam on Twitter, with both “Brady” and “The Masked Singer” trending on the site throughout the day after a tweet about the thread also went viral.
“Lindsey, you’ve sold me on this. I’m with you hear, ole tommy boy is boutta fire up the windpipes,” said one user.
“Sold me, hook line and sinker,” said another.
Whatever you may believe, Brady won’t be playing in Saturday’s game against the Tennessee Titans at 7 p.m. and there is no word on his return for the Buccaneers’ final preseason
You can watch both those games on WFLA, Your Official Bucs Station.
