Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will turn 45 on Wednesday ahead of his 23rd NFL season. A day before Brady’s birthday, Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette gave a fitting gift to the greatest of all time (GOAT). Per Jenna Laine of ESPN, Fournette ordered a special goat cake for his teammate and had it delivered to the team’s AdventHealth Training Center on Tuesday. According to Kristina Lavallee of The Cake Girl, Fournette came to her store and asked for a 3D goat cake. "At first, I was like, 'What? For Tom?' No, no way,” said Lavallee, who finished the vanilla cake with buttercream icing in four hours.
Fournette said he decided to gift Brady with a cake despite his initial concerns that it would not mesh with his diet. "With him, his diet is strict ... he doesn't eat sugar," said Fournette, who opted not to put avocado, Brady’s favorite fruit, as part of the cake. He also included the message “Happy 100th birthday” on Brady’s cake.
Since he joined the Buccaneers two seasons ago, Fournette has developed a close friendship with Brady, who recruited him to the team. After signing two one-year deals with the Buccaneers, Fournette finally received a three-year deal worth $21 million from the team, with Brady’s help. During one of his free-agency visits, Fournette said he went to the New England Patriots.
When he arrived in New England, Fournette said he received a call from Brady and asked him why he was visiting his former team. Brady then told Fournette that he will call him back. After that, the running back said the Buccaneers called with an offer that he accepted. As for head coach Todd Bowles, he’s not committing to give Brady a day off, but he said everything is negotiable.
“We haven't given anybody else the day off on their birthday. If it falls on that day, so be it,” he added. Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis III said he would just give Brady a hug, saying the quarterback probably has everything.
Bowles says Fournette remains an every-down back
During his media appearance, Bowles lauded Fournette’s endurance, saying he will remain the team’s primary and three-down back.
“Before he was a two-down back; he's become a three-down back,” said Fournette, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com. Bowles also said that Fournette was a known pass-catcher in college, but he didn’t just get the volume of passes in his first years in the NFL. Now with Brady as his quarterback, Fournette has been receiving a huge volume of passes that helped show his versatility. “You can't just crowd the box because he can catch the ball. I think that's where his game grew,” explained Bowles. In his first year with the Buccaneers, Fournette tallied 97 carries for 367 yards and 6 touchdowns and added 36 catches for 233 yards. In his second year, he had 69 catches for 454 yards and two touchdowns.
