Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Former NFL pass rusher Steve White -- most known for his time as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer -- has sadly died at 48 years old, his former teammates confirmed Tuesday.

The ex-defensive end had been dealing with chronic lymphocytic leukemia -- a type of cancer that affects blood and bone marrow.

He spoke about the fight with the disease in a tweet back in April, saying it had been affecting him for nearly a decade.

"Many of you know that I have been dealing with a cancer (CLL) diagnosis over the last 8 years," he said. "I am now at a point where I need to go through a bone marrow transplant. It is something I knew would eventually have to happen since 2017 and now that day is actually here."

White's ex-playing mates paid tribute to him Tuesday following the news of his passing -- with Warren Sapp tweeting a highlight video that featured the two getting after Donovan McNabb together.

"RIP Steve White #94 in your Program but #1 in Our hearts!!" Sapp said. "#SmartToughAndGreatMan #DLine."

Former Bucs QB Shaun King added, "Just heard my former teammate @sgw94 passed away. Condolences to his family and loved ones. Always had an encouraging word for me when I was a young player with the @Buccaneers."

White was initially taken by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 6th round of the 1996 NFL Draft, but he went on to join Tampa Bay -- and played six seasons for the Bucs, piling up 11.5 sacks in 94 career games. He did his best work in the playoffs for the team, famously recording seven tackles, one interception and two sacks in the Buccaneers' two postseason games in the 1999 season.

White finished his career with the Jets. He went on to write about football following his retirement.

"#RIP to my road game roommate @sgw94," White's former teammate Tyoka Jackson said Tuesday evening. "My condolences go out to his wife, children, family and friends. The memories, the fun, the conversations will never be forgotten."

Orlando Scandrick -- the longtime Dallas Cowboys corner who played in the NFL for 11 years -- says he's got no issues whatsoever with Tom Brady's mid-training camp break ... telling TMZ Sports he'd have the QB's back if he was in the Bucs locker room.

The former NFLer -- who played against Brady during his lengthy pro career -- admitted the situation is a little "fragile" ... but given everything Tom has accomplished over the last two decades, he wouldn't be the guy complaining about the signal-caller's absence.

"I think it's fine," said the 35-year-old, who left the league following the 2019 season. "I think you've got to weigh the reward and the risk. I think Tom Brady's a very, very proven person in this league, and if anybody is going to get the benefit of the doubt, it's going to be him and I would have given it to him."

Brady initially left Tampa Bay camp on Aug. 11 -- with head coach Todd Bowles saying only that he was out dealing "with some personal things."

Tom eventually came back to practice on Aug. 22 -- and explained over the weekend that he needed the off time because, "I'm 45 years old, man. There's a lot of s*** going on."

Scandrick says all of that would have been good enough for him ... telling us he would have said to Tom, "Do what you got to do."

Scandrick also weighed in on Aaron Donald's helmet-swinging temper tantrum at Rams vs. Bengals practice last week -- and he said he doesn't believe the L.A. superstar should be punished over it.

"It's a little work scuffle," he said with a smile.

Orlando is promising to give much more of his takes on NFL hot topics on his new "Airing It Out with Housh and Scandrick" show with former NFL star T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

Tom Brady just can't take a day off without people writing a book about it -- well, unless it's missing the first two weeks of training camp -- so he's addressing it again, essentially saying he went through a lot of s**t.

Brady showed up Saturday for the preseason debut in the exhibition final, and said post-game, "Everyone has different situations they're dealing with and we all have unique challenges to our lives."

Then he said this ... "I'm 45 years old, man. There's a lot of shit going on, so you just have to try and figure out life the best you can. You know, it's a continuous process."

Brady, who performed at the Brady level, kinda said the obvious after the game ... "I feel good. I've played football for a long time. I'm pretty good at it," Brady said. "Doesn't take me long for me to remember how to play it."

Brady did not get specific about the 11-day absence -- remember, he initially said he was self-benching for "personal reasons."

The Bucs played 2 preseason games while Brady was out ... losing to Miami on Aug. 13 and to the Titans on Aug. 20.

There have been massive rumors he was MIA so he could appear on " The Masked Singer," but Brady flatly denied that. But here's the thing ... when he was retired for that nanosecond, he signed a massive, $375 million deal with Fox, and it's not inconceivable part of the deal might have been to appear on Fox shows, the biggest of which is the 'Masked Singer.'

So the theory goes ... when he un-retired, he went back to the Bucs and said he had signed the deal so part of the terms of coming back would be the 11-day hiatus.

Not exactly filling out your underwear?? Don't worry, Tom Brady's here to help ... revealing his secret to looking fresh in your skivvies -- and all ya need is boxers and a tube sock!!

File this under things we didn't expect to write about today ... but, here we are.

Brady just restocked a bunch of Brady brand boxer briefs and briefs this week ... and in an effort to sell more products, Tom's company has been pumping out photos of chiseled underwear models who look amazing.

Newly retired Rob Gronkowski, 6'6" tall and ripped, also got in on the fun, modeling the Brady undies alongside GF Camille Kostek. Gronk, like the other models, looked flawless.

But, what about us "normal-looking guys?" Tom's got our bac- ... err, nuts.

"So the Brady underwear just restocked and I've been posting a bunch of pictures. And these guys, pretty ripped, pretty jacked. Taking it to a new level. So for the rest of us, us normal-looking guys, I came up with the Brady brand mirror picture starter pack."

And, then came this!

Step 1: Take your Brady underwear.
Step 2: Take your sock (you'll only need one of them here).

Tom Brady is denying he left Bucs camp to be a contestant on the newest season of "The Masked Singer," but the show is definitely leaning in to the possibility he DID exactly that!!!

Check out this clip from the upcoming season TMZ Sports obtained ... it shows Ken Jeong, a judge on the show, guessing that TB12 is one of the new undercover, crooning celebs this year.

In the footage, you can see Jeong trying to guess who's in the Hummingbird costume. The comedian says the look and performance is "screaming out like a football legend."

Initially, he believes it could be Peyton Manning, but then he moves on to a different theory -- "I think this could be the greatest of all time."

Ken even adds ... "He just got fined for not showing up to training camp because he is here on 'The Masked Singer'. This is seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady!"

Of course, the clip cuts off before we see who the contestant actually is ... we're not THAT good. Season 8 officially wrapped taping on Aug. 20, but the show won't start airing until Sept. 21 -- and Fox notoriously keeps all the celeb IDs under lock and key.

For what it's worth, Tom just happened to show up at Bucs camp on Aug. 22 ... 2 days after taping ended.

Brady, though, has insisted it ain't him ... saying on his Twitter page Monday that despite disappearing from Bucs training camp for 11 days earlier this month, "[I] wasn’t on the masked singer last week."

The first rule of the show is ya don't talk about the show ... so could it really be him?!

Tom Brady says he did NOT leave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to shoot episodes of "The Masked Singer" ... saying the wild conspiracy is flat-out wrong.

TB12 had social media in a frenzy last week ... when one user speculated the QB was taking a break from training camp to appear on Fox's singing competition.

There were several points that had people convinced -- one being Brady's post-retirement TV deal with Fox Sports ... and another being the show is currently recording new episodes for the next season.

On top of that, Brady's absence had been a mystery ... and considering 'Masked Singer' is all about secrets, it would make sense for him to be hush-hush about what he was doing.

It was later revealed Brady used his time away from football to go on a Bahamas vacation with his wife, Gisele ... and based on his tweet just minutes ago, no masked singing was involved.

The G.O.A.T. is back ... Tom Brady is practicing with the Buccaneers once again -- after he took 11 days to deal with a "personal issue."

The Bucs just posted video of Brady out at training camp -- proving he has, indeed, made his way back to Tampa following an extended off period.

The 45-year-old looked good, weaving in and out of bags while hurling footballs to wide receivers.

Brady initially left camp back on Aug. 11 -- with Bucs head coach Todd Bowles explaining to reporters at the time that the QB was dealing with "some personal things."

"It's a personal issue," Bowles said. "That's all I can tell you."

"It's something he needed to handle," Bowles added. "We trust him. We talked about it. It was scheduled way before training camp, and he will not be here until after Tennessee."

Brady has yet to comment publicly on the brief departure.

The Bucs, meanwhile, played 2 preseason games while Brady was out ... losing to Miami on Aug. 13 and to the Titans on Aug. 20.

Tom Brady was apparently all set to become a Raider after leaving the Patriots -- that is, until Jon Gruden stepped in and shot it down ... this according to Dana White.

The UFC honcho broke down the story Saturday during the UFC 278 broadcast ... telling Rob Gronkowski and a bunch of other panelists that TB12 was, in fact, gunning to join the Las Vegas Raiders ... something DW had been pitching him on for a long time at that point.

This was all happening during Tom's free agency period in 2020, BTW, and per Dana ... the GOAT was actually already scoping out houses in the area. So it sounds like it was just about a done deal -- with Dana working behind the scenes to make it all happen.

Not just that ... but Rob himself was apparently going to join Tom there in Vegas under this would-be move. The reason it fell apart, so says Dana, is because of the ex-head coach.

Gruden allegedly blew it up last minute, saying he didn't want Tom and co. -- and, apparently, the ownership listened to him. Tom ended up joining the Bucs instead, and went on to win the Super Bowl later in 2021 ... with none other than Gronk by his side for the glory.

Dana later elaborated a bit on the tale, telling reporters Brady wasn't happy about it at the time ... but wouldn't get into the exact details of what Gruden's beef was.

Of course, he ended up getting canned by the organization amid a racism controversy from prior emails.

Gruden ended up suing the league and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, claiming the leaked correspondence was part of a coordinated character assassination.

Antonio Brown is changing his tune on Tom Brady ... unleashing on the 7-time Super Bowl champ for being MIA at training camp, claiming he's manipulating the game.

Brady is currently taking time away from the Bucs to "deal with personal things" ... an absence that has been approved by team honchos in advance.

AB was super complimentary of his former QB to TMZ Sports last week ... saying he misses Brady and the Buccaneers.

But something set Brown off in the couple days since ... because he's clearly not happy with both TB12 and his trainer, Alex Guerrero.

"Tom brady manipulate the game gets 14 days go home get his mind rt lol," he said. "Now u see the difference. Put that s*** on."

He also took aim at Guerrero, who is Brady's longtime trainer and co-collaborator for the famous TB12 method.

"Alex Guerra (sic) You think i won't have u smacked at TB12 boy stop playing with me !" AB added. "Boy getting paid by bucks (sic) n taking players money too."

The GOAT is GONE in Tampa -- at least for the next roughly two weeks -- the Buccaneers revealed on Thursday that Tom Brady is now out of training camp while handling a "personal issue."

Todd Bowles was just peppered with questions about his star QB -- who left training camp Thursday and is not expected to return until sometime in late August -- but the Bucs head coach declined to get into specifics of it all.

Instead, Bowles would only say Brady is out dealing "with some personal things."

"It's something he needed to handle," Bowles said. "We trust him. We talked about it. It was scheduled way before training camp and he will not be here until after Tennessee."

The Bucs are slated to play the Titans in a preseason contest in Nashville on Aug. 20 -- which means a return date for Brady won't come until at least Aug 21.

And, it seems the 45-year-old's absence could extend longer than that, 'cause Bowles wouldn't guarantee the signal-caller would be under center for their season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11.

But, Bowles did say his confidence is "pretty high" that Brady will be there.

"It's a personal issue," Bowles said. "That's all I can tell you."

Brady didn't appear to be hampered by any injuries at all while attending Bucs practices earlier this week -- throwing completions and touchdowns with regularity throughout the workouts.

Tom Brady turned 45 today ... and the star QB's wife, Gisele, made sure to shout out her man on his special day, reminding him he's loved as he celebrates another year of life!!

Gisele -- who's been married to Tom since 2009 -- took to Instagram to pen the romantic post to her 7x Super Bowl-winning hubby QB ... posting a photo of Brady in his Bucs uni with two of his three children.

"Happy birthday to one of the most focused, disciplined, and fashionable person I know! @tombrady" Gisele wrote on social media.

"You are so loved and we are always here cheering for you and wishing you all the most wonderful things in life! ❤️"

Tom and Gisele have been one of the most powerful and well-known couples in sports and entertainment for quite some time now, and Bundchen has always made sure to support him.

Of course, Tom's super focused on the NFL season ahead ... but it's nice to see Gisele took the time to publicly show her appreciation for him.

Happy Birthday, Tom!!

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers certainly don't appear to need any more magic on the field -- but just in case they do, Mike Evans clearly has them covered!!

The star wideout unveiled at Tampa Bay training camp practice on Thursday that he got yet another Harry Potter tattoo recently on his body ... showing off new wizard ink on his calf.

The piece features Daniel Radcliffe -- lightning scar and all -- staring with a fierce expression on his face.

The Bucs posted a pic of it -- and Evans laughed about it, captioning it with a funny quote from Harry and Hermione.

"Hermione -- 'she's only interested in you because she thinks you're the chosen one,'" Evans wrote. "HP -- 'but I am the chosen one.'"

Evans has made it clear over the years he's a MASSIVE HP fan ... this is at least his second Potter tat -- he previously got the Deathly Hallows symbol inked on his elbow.

The 28-year-old also had a Harry-themed cake at his wedding back in 2016 -- and has called the films ... the greatest of all time.

Future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski is out of Tampa ... but future Hall of Famer Julio Jones is in -- and Tom Brady's wasting no time using him, already throwing TD passes his way!!

TB12 and his new wideout hooked up for six for the first time ever at Buccaneers practice on Thursday -- and video from the field shows the duo sure made scoring look easy.

Jones, rocking #85 after signing with Tampa on Wednesday, ran a slick corner route, and Brady dropped him a dime that Jones eventually snagged while deep in the endzone.

Even though defenders weren't on the field yet -- fans in attendance went crazy, 'cause Jones' raw athleticism -- and Brady's pinpoint accuracy -- oozed during the play.

The 33-year-old receiver reportedly picked Tampa over a slew of other teams this week due to the big-time odds of winning a Super Bowl this season.

Leonard Fournette is slamming the door on a report he showed up to Bucs minicamp weighing 260 lbs., pissing off the coaches -- saying it's all cap -- 'cause he was actually only 245 lbs.

The story came from Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times ... who reported on his Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast Monday the team was displeased with their RB because of his elevated weight.

"Coaches were not happy," Stroud said, "and that’s an understatement, when [Fournette] didn’t participate in the OTAs, but then he shows up at the mandatory minicamp weighing damn near 260 [pounds]."

“And that’s not a good sign for a guy that you’ve just spent a three-year contract on."

Well, Fournette -- whose new deal is worth $21 mil -- went on Twitter shortly after and called it fake news.

"No I weighed 245," the 27-year-old tweeted, "y’all say anything."

Fournette also retweeted a video of him cleaning 325 pounds from earlier this month -- obviously trying to prove a point.

Last season, Leonard was listed at 228 lbs. ... 17 pounds lighter than the 245 he says he weighs now. Fournette rushed for 812 yards and rushed for 8 TDs. He also had 69 catches for 454 yards and 2 receiving TDs.

Talk about first-world problems ... Tom Brady just revealed the toughest thing he has to deal with as a parent is trying to keep his kids grounded despite their rich and famous lifestyle.

TB12 opened up about being a dad to Ford honcho Jim Farley on the "DRIVE" podcast earlier this month ... and he explained one of his biggest parenting struggles is teaching humility to his kids while also being one of the most wealthy families in the nation.

"We have people that clean for us," said the Tampa Bay Buccaneers star, who's made over $300 MILLION in NFL contracts alone. "We have people that make our food. We have people that drive us to the airport if we need that. We get off a plane and there's people waiting there for us and we get ushered in."

"And it's just, that's my kids' reality. Which is the hard part to say, 'Guys, this is not the way reality really is.'"

Brady -- who has two sons and one daughter -- called balancing it all "probably the hardest thing for us as parents."

Of course, the words were met with immediate backlash -- as there are certainly millions of people across the globe who would happily take those issues.

But, Brady said they are real problems for him and his wife, Gisele -- and they're things he says he has to deal with daily.

"I know that I've screwed up a lot of things -- that's the reality of being a parent," he said. "You just hope you can show them enough things to realize that when they are doing things that are selected for Mom and Dad to make our lives more convenient that that is a treat. You know, that is something that is not what every kid goes through."

Tom Brady's on-again, off-again friendship with Donald Trump is apparently on ice once again ... the quarterback just revealed he doesn't talk with the former president anymore, and hasn't spoken to him in "years."

The NFL superstar made the revelation during a recent interview with Variety ... after being asked if he still keeps in touch with No. 45.

"No," Brady said. "I haven’t talked to him in a lot of years."

Of course, Brady and Trump used to be good pals. The two golfed often, spoke regularly -- and, at one point during DT's initial run for president in 2015, the ex-Patriots signal-caller had a "Make America Great Again" cap in his locker.

But, Tom and Trump grew apart shortly after Donald got in office -- Brady famously skipped out on a visit to Trump's White House in 2017, and later slammed Trump's criticism of Colin Kaepernick as "just divisive."

The two had appeared to mend fences in 2020, when at a coronavirus update press conference, Trump said he had recently spoken to Brady -- calling him "a great guy."