Bruce Arians: Rumors of Tom Brady rift 'couldn't be further from the truth'

Just a couple weeks after Tom Brady ended his brief retirement earlier this month and returned to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bruce Arians decided to step down as the team's head coach. While some have tried to connect those dots and have speculated that friction between the quarterback and coach explains the retirement swap, Arians emphatically denied those rumors.

During a press conference Thursday that was attended by Brady, Arians said he has a great relationship with the 15-time Pro Bowler.

"All the players — there are a few in here — every one of them has gotten cussed out, including him," Arians said of Brady, via ESPN. "That's just part of me. That's nothing new. We have a great relationship. ... People got to write s--t. It couldn't be further from the truth."

Days before he announced his intention to step down, Arians voiced the same sentiment.

"I have no clue where it comes from," Arians told NFL Network last week when asked about friction with Brady. "Somebody's got to write a story every day about something. Tom and I have a great relationship. Even during the retirement: 'Where you at? 'I'm in Italy.' 'How's it going?' 'Got the kids over here.' You know, just checking on him. I can't get him back on the golf course because he's traveling too much, so I can't win enough money off of him."

Arians will fill a front-office role for the Buccaneers, and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles has been announced as the team's new head coach.