New England Patriots fans at Gillette Stadium were not happy about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers holding a meeting on the midfield logo prior to kickoff.
Week 4 was set to feature a must-watch game, as Tom Brady made his return to New England as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to face his former team in the Patriots. It was certainly always going to be an emotional game, considering that Brady helped the franchise win all six of their Super Bowl titles. But, things got a bit testy at the start of the game.
Following pregame warmups, the Buccaneers held a team meeting at midfield of Gillette Stadium. By that, we mean on the Patriots logo, which was met by a chorus of boos by fans in attendance. It is important to note, however, that Brady already retreated to the locker room while this meeting took place, according to several media members in attendance.
The Buccaneers held a mini team meeting on the Patriots logo. Fans weren’t happy. Tom Brady was already in the locker room. pic.twitter.com/NcTpDuEhEC
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) October 3, 2021
Tom Brady already went back to the locker room but a number of Buccaneers just had a team meeting on the Patriots midfield logo. Loud boos from the crowd.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) October 3, 2021
The #Buccaneers embracing the villain role tonight, gathering on the #Patriots logo at midfield. The crowd boos them but it appeared several Bucs players were inviting even more noise from the crowd.
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) October 4, 2021
Buccaneers hold meeting on Patriots midfield logo prior to Sunday’s game
If there is one thing that is frowned upon, it is a player on the road team standing on the logo of the home squad. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster learned that the hard way from the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals last year after he danced on their midfield logos.
It certainly appeared as though standing on the logo gave the Buccaneers some bad luck in the first half. New England led Tampa Bay 7-6 as the team went back to the locker rooms after quarterback Mac Jones found tight end Hunter Henry in the end zone in the second quarter.
It was not an easy day at work for the Buccaneers on Sunday night, that is for sure.