Fans speculate Tom Brady got plastic surgery during mysterious 11-day absence

Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 13 days away from kicking off their 2022 regular season against the Dallas Cowboys. While the three-time MVP quarterback is "only" 20th on ESPN's annual top 100 players rankings, few would be surprised if the now-45-year-old turned in yet another MVP-caliber campaign.

For over one week earlier in August though, both Bucs fans and NFL followers alike were left in confusion, as Brady was away on his ultra-mysterious 11-day excused absence from team training camp. During the saga, it was a constant guessing game as to why No. 12 was MIA, but one of the more entertaining theories was that Brady was off filming an appearance on the FOX reality singing competition "The Masked Singer."

The 15-time Pro Bowler took to social media to deny those speculations, but now there have been new rumors popping up on how he was spending his time away from his teammates. Audacy Sports' Dan Mennella sifted through some of the recent posts by fans on Twitter regarding Brady's return to the club and there was a common suggestion among the content.

"The seven-time Super Bowl winner looked notably gaunt and his hair appeared to be a shade or two darker than usual while he spoke with reporters prior to Saturday night's preseason game against the Colts in Indianapolis," Mennella wrote.