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Do you remember who first reported that Tom Brady would join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020?
Matthew Berry thought about the question for a brief moment before remembering. "Oh, I believe it was me," he told OutKick.
For context, Brady announced his departure from the New England Patriots weeks before signing with Tampa Bay. At the time, his rumored destinations included the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts. No one had mentioned the Buccaneers.
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Then, after the NFL Combine, Berry wrote in his annual rumors column that he would bet on Brady heading to Tampa. He told OutKick he was quite confident about his prediction at the time.
"I won’t give away my source, but I will tell you how I came across the information. I was at the NFL Combine, and it was about 2 a.m., and I was in a bar. I met somebody who worked for the Buccaneers organization," he explained.
"We were drinking for an hour and were hammered. This particular person tells me, ‘I think we have a shot at Brady.’ And I’m like, ‘No, you don’t.’"
Berry added: "And this person tells me, ‘No, man. We worked him out. We’ve had conversations with him. We think it’s down to us and, I think he said, the Raiders. He goes, Gisele wants a South Florida team to make it easier for her to get home, to fly out of a Florida airport."
As they continued drinking, Berry realized the person was, in fact, serious.
"The more he talked, the more convinced this person sounded. I thought, ‘Well, okay.’ These are things that I hear drunk in a bar."
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As I mentioned to Berry during the conversation, I remember reading his report and asking an NFL insider about it. The insider said they had not heard that. Fans and media were also skeptical that a fantasy football guru, rather than a traditional insider, would have the correct information about one of the biggest transactions in NFL history.
Later that night, the insider texted me back: "Berry is onto something."
Brady eventually signed with Tampa Bay and led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory in his first season there.
The takeaway is obvious. For those who want to break major NFL stories, the real information is not obtained at journalism school, but while drunk in a bar at 2 a.m.
Berry appreciated that we asked him about the scoop. "No one has ever brought that up before. Thank you."
You can watch OutKick's full interview with Matthew Berry on YouTube here.
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