A wild theory surrounding Tom Brady’s leave of absence from the Buccaneers began circulating on Friday, concluding that the quarterback is away from the team to film The Masked Singer.
While this rumor is almost certainly false, it’s still making its rounds on social media as a pretty incredible joke.
The wild Reddit theory even made its way onto the Rams–Texans broadcast on Friday night. Rams COO Kevin Demoff brought up the theory while in the broadcast booth and joked that he hopes it is true.
“Hopefully Tom Brady will still be on The Masked Singer by the time we go to Tampa in November,” Demoff said, via RamsWire. “So, if that’s the case, maybe we’ll have a chance.”
The Rams and Buccaneers will play each other on Nov. 6, so it sounds like Demoff’s wish won’t come true. Brady is expected to return to the team sometime after the Buccaneers’ preseason game vs. the Titans on Aug. 20. The team has not announced a specific date for his return, but on Friday coach Todd Bowles said he knew “exactly” when it would be, and added that he is “not worried” at all about Brady’s absence.
The quarterback and the team haven’t given specifics about the reason for the absence, which has led some fans have come up with absurd theories like The Masked Singer appearance.
SI‘s Albert Breer says that the absence is not due to a family or medical emergency. The team is not concerned about Brady missing the 10 days of practice, and maintains that the time off was pre-approved by the team.