Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David hinted at some behind-the-scenes drama within the organization during the season after Sunday’s playoff loss.
David spoke after the Buccaneers’ 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional round, and suggested the team overcame quite a few issues to get as far as they did. David said there was “turmoil” during the season, and hinted at some internal conflict.
Lavonte David on Bucs' 2021 season: "Things happen. People get hurt. We had some mishaps here and there, guys bump heads. We had a lot of turmoil going on in our organization. Guys getting injured, guys who were a huge part of our success … It was definitely a tough season."
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) January 24, 2022
David alludes to injuries, but there seems to be more at play here. There was the obvious issue of Antonio Brown, but it’s certainly plausible that there is more we don’t know about.
David did add that this year’s team had “the most tight locker room I’ve ever been around,” so it certainly does not sound like there were significant divisions there.
The Buccaneers definitely face uncertainty going forward, from key pieces like Chris Godwin set to become free agents to the question of whether Tom Brady will return. Perhaps soon we will find out more about what might have plagued this team during the season as well.
