No. 12 is shedding some light on fans' No. 1 question: Where has Tom Brady been the last few weeks?
After rumors spread that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback was filming The Masked Singer during his brief absence from the NFL team's preseason schedule, Brady is setting the record straight.
"Wasn't on the masked singer last week," he tweeted Aug. 22 along with a video from his apparel company Brady, which showed a motorcyclist riding in a pair of the brand's underwear. "Was wearing a mask though."
Brady returned to training camp in Tampa, Fla. on Aug. 22 after an 11-day absence in which he missed two preseason games. And as the Tampa Bay Times reported, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said the team was "happy to have him back" and that Brady was ready to get back to the game he loves.
"He's a film junkie. I'm sure he's watched tape of everything," Bowles said, per the newspaper. "So [it's] him coming back in, picking up where he left off, just getting used to the mechanics again. He's been great, same as when he left."
While the exact reason for Brady's temporary leave has yet to be revealed, Bowles previously noted it was for personal reasons.
"Tom has been excused today," he told reporters after the seven-time Super Bowl champ missed practice Aug. 11, before indicating Brady would be absent for a bit. "He'll be back sometime around after [the] Tennessee [preseason game]. He's going to deal with some personal things."
Bowles also said he and Brady had talked about the brief departure before training camp started.
"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," Bowles continued at the time. "He didn't want to take away reps from Blaine [Gabbert] and Kyle[Trask], as well as Griff [Ryan Griffin] as far as going into these next two games and it's something he needs to handle. We trust him. We talked about it. It was scheduled way before training camp and he will not be here until after Tennessee."
Brady joined the Buccaneers in 2020 after spending two decades with the New England Patriots, going on to win a Super Bowl his first season with the Florida team. In February, Brady announced he was retiring from football but changed his mind and announced his return to the NFL just a month later.
"These past two months I have realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands," he wrote on Instagram at the time. "That time will come. But it's not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. Without them, none of this is possible. I'm coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. We have unfinished business."