Tom Brady’s golf plans with Bruce Arians shut down by NFL

Tom Brady’s tee time was canceled — by the NFL.

Brady and Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians had plans to play golf together at Old Memorial Golf Club on Dec. 2 during Tampa Bay’s bye week, but the plans were scrapped when they found out from the league the outing would violate the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols, according to ESPN.

Brady notably played in a nationally televised charity golf match in May, teaming with Phil Mickelson against Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning in an event that raised money for COVID-19 relief efforts. The 43-year-old Brady ripped his pants during that match in a moment that quickly went viral.

The golf plans between Brady and Arians came amid scrutiny surrounding their relationship, as Arians has not hesitated to publicly criticize Brady for mistakes, assessments Arians has said are just a matter of him being honest. Brady has insisted that the pair’s relationship is good, and his general manager agrees.

“They really get along great,” Bucs GM Jason Licht told ESPN regarding Brady and Arians. “There’s a deep respect there for each other.”

A different anonymous source also told ESPN that the doubts about Brady and Arians coexisting are “way overdone.”

People around the Buccaneers and the league were “confused” by the golf plans being shut down since the two are allowed to stand next to one another on the sideline every week, ESPN reports.

Last month, Packers star Aaron Rodgers questioned what the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols were based on.

“I just think there’s some double standards,” Rodgers said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “You can dap up a guy after the game, but you can’t eat at the same lunch table as a teammate.

“You can go down to practice and hit each other and be in close contact, but you have to have plexiglass in between you and the guy next to you in the locker room. Some of those things, to me, don’t add up. I understand we are trying to get every game in and stay healthy.”