Tom Brady will wear No. 12 with Buccaneers as Chris Godwin gives up his number
Chris Godwin wore No. 12 in high school, college and his first seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His social media accounts, and ones owned by his girlfriend, reference the No. 12.
But, Tom Brady wears No. 12. And he will again.
According to the Buccaneers’ site, Godwin offered No. 12 to his new teammate Brady, who “gratefully accepted.” Godwin will wear No. 14.
Let the Brady jersey sales begin, at least whenever the Bucs unveil their new uniforms.
Tom Brady gets No. 12
Brady wore No. 10 in college at Michigan, but became well known for No. 12 while winning six Super Bowls with the Patriots. His nutrition company is called TB12. It’s a big deal for him.
It’s also a big deal for Godwin. Most players do get attached to their numbers. Godwin let it be known in an interview with “Bucs Beat” on the team’s Twitter page earlier this month that he wanted the number but would defer to Brady.
“Obviously if he doesn’t want it, if he doesn’t make a big deal about it, I’m definitely going to keep it,” Godwin said. “We’ll see how that goes. Out of respect for what he’s done, what he’s accomplished and just the career he's built for himself, you have to lean into that respect. We'll see how that goes.”
In the end, Godwin wants the ball, and he endeared himself to his new quarterback.
Chris Godwin changes numbers
There was no word if Brady gave Godwin anything for the number change, though that’s typical when a veteran asks for a younger player to change numbers.
In the story on the Buccaneers’ site, it says Godwin told team reporter Casey Phillips “there was no transaction between him and Brady as part of the switch,” though it’s unclear if that information was from the Godwin interview weeks ago before the two players had talked about the number.
Either way, Godwin wasn’t going to battle his new quarterback over a jersey number. Brady gets No. 12 and if Godwin gets plenty of catches, everyone will be happy.
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