Tom Brady's retirement caught some off guard after he'd long suggested he could play well beyond the age of 45.
Now, one of Brady's former Patriots teammates has suggested it might have had more to do with things going "sour" in Tampa Bay than previously known.
Brady and head coach Bruce Arians were known to have disagreed at least a couple times publicly, and according to former New England reserve offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger, their "honeymoon" was definitely over.
The apparent schism between quarterback and coach was more than just "trouble seeing eye to eye on the offensive game planning," as the whole relationship itself seemed to be tainted, Ohrnberger tweeted on Friday afternoon.
According to Ohrnberger, who also played for the Cardinals and Chargers, Brady and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich sometimes felt "undermined" by Arians disagreeing with the offensive strategies they were drawing up together in Arians' absence while he was rehabilitating an Achilles injury.
News of the apparent rift isn't exactly shocking, given that Brady and Arians seemed to clash publicly, most famously over the signing of mercurial wide receiver Antonio Brown during the 2020 season.
Arians also didn't hesitate to pin the blame on Brady after losses at times both in 2020 and last season, once even going out of his way to point out that a pair of interceptions were Brady's fault -- even though at least one of them clearly wasn't.
While Arians' curious media maneuverings were likely just diversionary, or perhaps motivational tactics for the famously competitive Brady, it's not hard to see how it might have rubbed the future Hall of Famer the wrong way.
After all, Brady was widely reported to have grown frustrated at times with a far more accomplished coach in Bill Belichick during his later years in New England.
With his tweets on Friday, Ohrnberger, a fourth-round draft pick of the Patriots in 2009 who last played with San Diego in 2014, may have added fuel to the fire regarding speculation that Brady might have retired to escape internal discord and potential roster turnover in Tampa Bay -- with an eye toward a potential comeback at some point.
Brady, for his part, left the door slightly ajar to such a move upon retiring, saying "never say never" when asked if a return could be in the offing.
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