Tom Brady's been back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a decent chunk of time at this point. The 11-day hiatus is in the rearview mirror. However, fans, analysts, and pundits are not letting the case go cold. Many continue to speculate as to what the reason for his absence was.
Steelers star Cam Heyward was asked about the quarterback's absence on his podcast, The Cam Heyward Show. In response, the defensive tackle called for the media to stop thinking about the quarterback's absence. Heyward argued that not everyone can be available as often or reliably as is humanly possible. Here's how he put it:
"Honestly, we all have a different journey, a different story. For me to criticize a guy for 11 days who's going to be locked in from day one ... you know, you don't know what's going on in his life. And for me to assume it, I don't think that's right. But you hope he's going to be ready Week 1. He's going to prepare like it."

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He went on to claim that people are jumping to criticism too quickly over the quarterback's absence:
"And I just think, sometimes, because it doesn't go as regularly scheduled for everybody, then it becomes, 'Oh, man, this guy's not bought in. This guy's got a million things going on.’ We all have lives. Things happen, and you just hope everything's [okay]."
Tom Brady's mysterious year

The starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has held or come close to holding a few different job titles this year. Soon after being eliminated from the playoffs by the Los Angeles Rams, he retired from the league. However, the retirement lasted just six weeks.
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Soon after Brady's return, rumors ran rampant that the quarterback was intent on buying part of the Miami Dolphins. That said, when Brian Flores sued the team for discrimination, the quarterback backed off the idea. With no backup plan, he returned to his former team.
Soon after, Brady nailed down a deal with FOX to call games for the network immediately following his retirement from football. Since then, the quarterback took an 11-day break in August, leaving many wondering where he went and why.
Throughout the offseason, fans and media members specualted about whether 2022 would be Tom Brady's swan song. In the wake of his absence, those preparing for the end after 2022 have added a pillar to the foundation of their argument.
Will the quarterback hang it up after the 2022 season ends?
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