Bucky Irving Controversy Arises
November 20th, 2025
So last month, Joe was advised of a non-football issue tied to Bucky Irving, and Joe did a lot of digging to find the truth.
Joe even commissioned Ira Kaufman to tap his sources as well as another one of Joe’s plugged-in confidants.
After a lot of homework, Joe was satisfied with a direct answer that explained Irving’s issue was in the rearview mirror and no longer was affecting his football life. This was nothing sinister or anything that called Irving’s character into question. Case closed.
That was three weeks ago.
Joe didn’t write anything about it in this space or talk about it publicly.
But today, Mike Florio of NBC Sports and ProFootballTalk.com, said there’s a non-injury issue tied to Irving that is part of the reason he is not expected to play Sunday in Los Angeles. Florio is arguably the most well-connected NFL insider.
Joe cannot keep quiet if Florio is piping the following out to the NFL world with the following candor.
“I’m not so sure Bucky Irving is going to be back this weekend based upon something I heard when we were in Philadelphia,” Florio said today.
“I’ll tell you off-air what I heard,” Florio continued to his co-host Chris Simms. “I want to be careful. It just underscores the very real existence of inside information. Because it’s something that probably shouldn’t be out. But I don’t think he’s going to be back anytime soon. It definitely is more information than what’s in the injury report.”
Joe has no idea what is happening currently. It could be a revival of what Joe learned last month or something completely different.
Perhaps most disturbing is Florio saying he doesn’t think Irving will be back “anytime soon.”
Bucs icon Rondé Barber already reported Irving will not play Sunday. Irving, who officially is listed with shoulder and ankle issues, has been practicing this week (and last week) on a limited basis.
November 20th, 2025 at 3:04 pm
Wow
November 20th, 2025 at 3:06 pm
Sounds like a mental health issue.
November 20th, 2025 at 3:06 pm
WTF is happening with this team?????????????????????
November 20th, 2025 at 3:07 pm
I hope they will game plan around Tucker more. He’s a damn good RB.
November 20th, 2025 at 3:09 pm
Is it some kind of mental health thing? ‘Cause short of losing relatives or getting divorced I can’t think of much that would distract from an 18 week football season…?
November 20th, 2025 at 3:12 pm
I love Bucky but…
He is NOT a #1 running back
Simply because of his size…
Bucs pick @19
November 20th, 2025 at 3:15 pm
Bucs pick @32
November 20th, 2025 at 3:19 pm
Everyone laughed at me and scoffed when I advised Bucky’s situation. I also heard he is healthy but the buc org is being cautious and keeping him out of football
November 20th, 2025 at 3:19 pm
gotta ride Tucker regardless lol…he has the hot hand…
sad to hear….hope it isnt gambling
GO BUCS!!!!
November 20th, 2025 at 3:20 pm
Sounds like that “Hardly Boys” South Park episode and the “raging clue” gag, until there’s more specificity on this currently vague matter.
November 20th, 2025 at 3:20 pm
When will people here realize, he’s not coming back this year, McMillan is not coming back this year, Godwin is not coming back this year. No reason to bring Kancey and Evans back, if they’re ready, for a one-and-done-playoff game. This season was written off as a SB run after week 2 when all the new key injuries piled onto the old key injuries. I’d actually like Carolina to win the South and draw the first place schedule next year instead of us. That also might get Bowles to go ahead and decide to “retire.”
November 20th, 2025 at 3:22 pm
So what is it DS? Mental health? Suicide attempt? (Wow!) I hope it’s neither… if it’s none of that it’s hard to imagine what it could be if it doesn’t reflect negatively on him….??
November 20th, 2025 at 3:23 pm
Something is definitely fishy with Bucky’s shoulder. Don’t think Godwin or JMac are coming back this season. Brutal year with injuries.
November 20th, 2025 at 3:24 pm
I’m not going to say anything critical I’d rather Joe or the media to say something
November 20th, 2025 at 3:25 pm
This season is a wash. All smoke and mirrors to keep other teams guessing when we have wasted two roster spots… wow
November 20th, 2025 at 3:25 pm
Mike Florio (to Chris Simms ON-THE-AIR) … “I’ll tell you off-air what I heard. I want to be careful. It just underscores the very real existence of inside information. Because it’s something that probably shouldn’t be out.’
I’m sorry Joe, but Mike Florio had no business broadcasting that ON-THE-AIR. All he did was invite TONS OF UNNECESSARY SPECULATION about Bucky & the Bucs. And all without providing a shred of evidence that there’s any validity to it.
IF he’s got evidence, lay it on the table. IF he doesn’t, shut the he11 up.
Florio could have had the comments edited out of his post-show YouTube cut-up, but that didn’t happen. So he clearly chose to put it out there. –Joe
November 20th, 2025 at 3:30 pm
Mike Florio is a s-bag
November 20th, 2025 at 3:30 pm
i love bucky i hope he’s ok and we need him but we have good rbs …rachaad is awesome at what he does and tucker is fast but we need receivers …we need cg back, we can’t convert third downs …cg was the best at third downs, all of a sudden our wrs cannot get open and dang it throw deep to tez in the first qt!!!
November 20th, 2025 at 3:30 pm
maybe its another extortion case similar to RW1….
BUCS were pretty tight lipped about that too….
starting to sound like a circus at One Buc Place lol…the off field entertainment reminds me of the JW3, Swaggy, Djax years lol
GO BUCS!!!!
November 20th, 2025 at 3:34 pm
There’s no reason this team cannot win a Super Bowl *this year* if all or most of those players come back. So why wouldn’t they want to? Godwin and Bucky are already practicing. Evans will back week 14. We win out down the stretch and win a home playoff game. Then 2 away ones. 🙂
November 20th, 2025 at 3:34 pm
Kayla … ‘When will people here realize, he (Bucky) is not coming back this year, McMillan is not coming back this year, Godwin is not coming back this year. No reason to bring Kancey and Evans back, if they’re ready, for a one-and-done-playoff game.’
Actually I agree with you Kayla, but you went off the ends of the earth after that. Do you REALLY want to see Carolina win the NFC South? Hard for me to imagine a true Bucs’ fan thinking that way, even one who apparently dislikes Todd Bowles as much as you seem to.
This team is giving it all it has despite some horrendous injury losses. Yes there are a LOT of ‘coaching adjustments’ that’ve been needed because of that, and a LOT of mistakes made in the process. But no one on this team has quit, and a winning season is still within reach. This team still has a LOT of heart, and regarding Carolina, I want to see the Bucs bury them … TWICE.
November 20th, 2025 at 3:37 pm
Instead of playing games with the injury report (like it’s really fooling anyone) they should be concentrating on winning with the players that are healthy. It’s more annoying than it is advantageous.
November 20th, 2025 at 3:38 pm
This makes no sense. What is Florio, in the second grade? “I’ve got a secret but I can’t tell you what it is.”
C’mon, why get us fans potentially all riled up without, as DR said, ANY evidence?
Hmmmm.
November 20th, 2025 at 3:40 pm
Might be time to curb all the slobbering on Licht’s draft prowess. So many fans and media have pre-ordained these last few draft classes, and things are crumbling. Maybe these weren’t all “gems” that other GMs failed to identify, but more so players with large faults only Licht was willing to gamble on.
Kancey – small and injury prone
Braswell – massive bust
Barton – not a difference maker. Not getting better. Possibly regressing
Bucky – small, personal issues
Dennis – small, bad instincts, terrible in coverage
McMillian – small, injury prone
Klein – not good enough to get snaps
Culp – not good enough to get snaps
Morrison – halfway through season, getting torched let and right
McCollum – paid and disappeared, soft
Winfield – small, injury prone, paid and disappeared
November 20th, 2025 at 3:46 pm
So it’s pure hearsay at this point. Booger was adamant Luke wasn’t coming back this year and look how that panned out.
November 20th, 2025 at 3:46 pm
‘Joe cannot keep quiet if Florio is piping this out…’
?
Except Joe *is* keeping quiet. This whole article is basically: ‘We know secret stuff we can’t tell you about.. but we’re definitely not keeping quiet about the fact that we’re keeping quiet.’
That’s not journalism. That’s coy innuendo dressed up as insider credibility.
No, it’s Joe acknowledging learning things off the record and Joe honors those commitments. That is journalism. That’s why so many journalists write books decades after covering an event or issue or team, sharing things that become ok to share many, many years later. Sometimes with permission. Should Joe pretend Florio’s comment is coming out of left field. No. That’s not going to happen, either. That would be misleading. –Joe
November 20th, 2025 at 3:46 pm
Maybe it’s time for all non-Bucs fans on this board to go away. Find someone else to bother.
November 20th, 2025 at 3:47 pm
Whoa, “JoeBucsFan” is all the rage on WDAE today!!!!
November 20th, 2025 at 3:49 pm
Well tell us Joe
November 20th, 2025 at 3:50 pm
This is why I stopped reading PFT. Florio has turned into TMZ. Like a little school girl. But yet here we all are, typing comments about this article.
November 20th, 2025 at 3:50 pm
HeartyDickerson
Exactly! And Thanks!
November 20th, 2025 at 3:51 pm
I always thought it was odd that he caught a 60 yard bomb after being “injured”
November 20th, 2025 at 3:52 pm
Glad I’ve got Sean Tucker handcuffed to Bucky in my fantasy league.
November 20th, 2025 at 3:52 pm
Not fair to speculate. Hope he is getting better and/or is safe. Friends have seen him hanging out by the riverwalk in Tampa and talked with him.
Definitely got the vibe early on with these “injuries” coming out of One Buc were beyond the normal gamesmanship allowed in the NFL.
There is something very wrong with the leadership within the Bucs organization, and they need to be investigated. Godwin, Wirfs, the hamstrings, and the rest of these injuries seem to be suspect on timing and info. Now the team is “sick”.
A lot of people rely on accurate information when gambling on the NFL and since the NFL sponsors, promotes, and profits from it, this may get Congress involved if it keeps up along with the reffing issues, who knows what may come out next
November 20th, 2025 at 3:56 pm
Mental Illness is real man!!! let’s pray it’s not the case!!
November 20th, 2025 at 3:58 pm
They think everyone else across Tampa Bay loves Todd Bowles, and thinks he’s been doing a GREAT JOB over the past four seasons. They ‘think’ we’re all crazy or something!? While, not even taking account barely ‘limping’ into the playoffs EVERY freaking year now, for about the past 4-5 YEARS running, & coming out of THE ‘historically’ WEAKEST Divisions in the entire NFL. And, with it taking Cohen to literally, save HIS JOB last season (needed EVERY single point and yard), and with Winfield Junior saving-it the season before. It’s amazing HOW MUCH T-Krass (though, off today) defends him, too!!!!
November 20th, 2025 at 3:59 pm
StPetefatt is a Goober !
November 20th, 2025 at 4:03 pm
Mayyyybe. Florio is a bit of a self-aggrandizing blowhard. Not sure he’s all that credible. If it was Rick Stroud, I would believe it. But Florio: maybe/maybe not.
November 20th, 2025 at 4:04 pm
Soft ass team built with a bunch of pansies thats just the facts unfortunately…
November 20th, 2025 at 4:05 pm
All this doom and gloom,, all this the sky is falling,,, Bucs are still the second best odds to win any division at -850 (Phily is way way less) ,, the rest of the field is -300 or better ,,,, and in my humble , expert gambling opinion , come Tues morning the Bucs will be -900 to -1000,,, (not because we beat LA , Cause Carolina gets drilled by SF) ,, so sit back,, close your eyes Sun night or read a book ,,, and then we start the easier part of our schedule and hopefully start getting a guy back here and there , beat AZ next week and we will be 7-5 (sound familiar )
November 20th, 2025 at 4:07 pm
Well this is distrubing on a couple fronts. Ronde alluded to it last week. Now we hear this. Joe, you did the eight thing. Some things are private and not for public consumption. I think we need to protect and be mindful that Bucky is a person first and formost and deserves privicy on things like we all do. Let’s hope all is getting better for Bucky, whatever is going on.
So hats off to Bucky and yes we will cheer your return when you are ready to go!!!.
Thanks
November 20th, 2025 at 4:08 pm
I bet there is some ‘push and pull’ going on within the organization and Bucky’s camp… A good ole-fashioned tug-of-war. And, someone very close to the Bucs has intentionally ‘leaked-it’ to Florio. They are probably about fed-up with him, by now! Guaranteed. I’m sure they want AND expect for HIM to be on the Fricking FIELD. 💯
November 20th, 2025 at 4:08 pm
Well, Joe, and I’m being serious here: Is this situation something for the fans to actually worry about? Will this affect the team? (more than it already has with Bucky missing so many games).
Or is it more of the “behind-the-scenes” tidbit you are known for dropping occasionally?
Call us curious, if you will…
November 20th, 2025 at 4:08 pm
You’re a double goober.
Injuries have definitely plagued this team something unreal. Last season it was everyone in the secondary. This season it’s every wide receiver.
Crazy.
November 20th, 2025 at 4:09 pm
Brandin Cooks has been released by the Saints. Go pick him up. Won’t even cost a draft pick!!
November 20th, 2025 at 4:13 pm
As Steve Stiffler said in American Wedding:
WTF Sh@t Break!!!
November 20th, 2025 at 4:18 pm
I can’t believe that Mr. Joe Bucs & the rest of you don’t think the Trainer might be responsible for some of these injuries. Secondly, if Godwin came back so what. He was mediocre at best in the few games he played this year & you think he’ll play better?
Other than drafting Emeka Egbuka what has Jason Licht done in the past year other than not fire Todd Bowles, lol.
November 20th, 2025 at 4:23 pm
What I do not understand is why Bucky and Godwin were not put on IR. We could have signed another player to help in their absence. That made no sense to me at all.
November 20th, 2025 at 4:25 pm
Godwin was getting open- he just wasn’t catching the ball. That can remedy itself in a hurry.
Cooks isn’t better than Bucs WR8.
November 20th, 2025 at 4:25 pm
Hearty speaks the truth. I’m SICK of us drafting olinemen and changing their positions. The only time most other teams do that is to move a college tackle to guard. We act like big guys are just interchangeable. And a lot of the guys listed have great potential, they flash. But how many are regular pro bowl caliber players? I don’t see many, if any.
And I’m even MORE SICK of bowles getting a pass due to injuries.
1) Every team has injuries. The 2020 season was an aberration.
2) bowles refuses to address/fire the medical/ strength & conditioning/ training staff, so 🤷🏻♂️
If you can only be successful without injuries, you’re not gonna be very successful in the NFL.
Every season people give bowles a pass due to injuries, or rookies, or whatever the f. EVERY TEAM IN THE LEAGUE DEALS WITH THESE THINGS! If you can’t win in those conditions, you just SUCK.
#FIREbowles
#NOconfidence
November 20th, 2025 at 4:25 pm
Maybe they don’t meet IR requirements because the Bucs leadership is playing games with the information
November 20th, 2025 at 4:26 pm
Could this be in relation to what Richard Sherman knows?
November 20th, 2025 at 4:27 pm
Can we fire KAYLA as a commentor out of a cannon?
November 20th, 2025 at 4:32 pm
It’s pretty rare people lose an *entire* starting position group. That’s horrific luck- especially 2 seasons in a row.
November 20th, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Goedeke came back sooner than most do with a torn plantar fascia. FWIW
November 20th, 2025 at 4:36 pm
This team is a disaster.
November 20th, 2025 at 4:46 pm
I’m not sure why it’s so hard for some of you knuckle-dragging mouth breathers to understand this. You all acted the same way years ago when it came out that Doug Martin was into things he shouldn’t have been into.
Here’s my concern. If Joe is hearing things, and Florio is hearing things, then there’s something there. Whatever that something is doesn’t really matter to fans. All that matters is that he’s not playing this weekend and he’s probably not playing for the rest of the season.
Mike Florio and Joe just don’t throw things out there to see what sticks. C’mon people, smarten up.
November 20th, 2025 at 4:51 pm
Oh well – at least we got one decent year out of Bucky.
Not bad bad for a 4th round pick and much better than most of Licht’s 4th round picks.
LOL!
It’s a Buc’s life.
Enjoy the pain and sorrow.
November 20th, 2025 at 4:52 pm
Beginning to remind me of when Raheem Morris started hanging out at the strip clubs more than he was at the buccaneers facility…. For whatever reason this team has gone from a respected contender (I’m talking about the early success in the national respect the team was receiving from all the talking heads) the team has gone from a respected contender to an afterthought on nation talk shows.
Can any person out there tell me a time that Todd Bowls defenses were respected and or feared anything like a money kissing defense? You can give a half a game here and a game there let the defense did well, but you cannot put together a continual game after game after game period of time that a Todd Bowles was respected and feared…. I hear over and over on this particular website what a defensive genius, what a defensive mastermind Todd Bowels is .. I see a defenses that occasionally play a quarter or 3/4 of a game but they’re going to give up Big plays and points. Holes everywhere. Quarterback is never on his back side.
Please if someone can give me some sort of evidence, via historical proof, that Todd bowls is a defensive mastermind for defensive changes please do share please…. thanks
November 20th, 2025 at 4:54 pm
**sorry voice text… Monty kiffin not money kissing. Haven’t said that money kissing that’s exactly what the Glaciers are doing with a majority of the defensive money paid out, kissing good money goodbye….
November 20th, 2025 at 4:59 pm
Joe.. I say this with respect for the work you do, and I understand completely about honoring off-the-record commitments.
What I’m questioning is the choice to announce that you have off-the-record info you won’t share, then frame that as ‘not keeping quiet.’ To a reader, that lands less like clarity and more like, ‘We know something, we can’t tell you, but we want you to know we know it.’ It feels more like access-peacocking than information.
If the details can’t be reported, isn’t it better to leave them out until they are? And.. if they can be reported, report them. Sitting in the middle.. pointing at a secret while saying you can’t disclose it.. doesn’t actually help anyone understand the situation.