Lavonte David Discusses Tom Brady Influence
April 6th, 2026
Stellar teammate.
So what was Tom Brady like on a Super Bowl-winning team? A guy who shared a locker room with Brady might now.
Despite what fans saw on TV with Brady’s famous intensity or his high standards in practice, where Joe witnessed Brady drop kick a ball onto a separate practice field because of an incompletion, you’d think Brady would be up guys’ rear ends constantly.
That wasn’t the case said one Brady teammate on the Bucs Super Bowl champs for the 2020 season.
Retired Bucs legend Lavonte David has been on a media tour in the days in the past two weeks and stopped to visit “Bussin’ With the Boys,” the podcast co-hosted by David’s former Nebraska teammate Will Compton, a former Titans linebacker, and former Titans Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan.
Compton wanted to know how often Brady gave locker room speeches. David said only once — the Super Bowl.
It was at that point David said he knew he was about to play in a landmark Bucs game, as if he didn’t already know.
“Somebody else was about to talk,” David said of Brady’s speech just a handful of minutes before kickoff. “[Brady] moved him and just started talking. And everybody was like [David’s face went blank], ‘Oh, sh!t. Tom’s about to start talking. This is real.'”
Per David, Brady said, “‘This moment, right here, you will be remembered forever. … Ten years from now we will come back together and celebrate this moment. Your family will remember it forever.'”
David said Brady’s words were profound at the time because David knew how the football world had ignored him despite his above-the-rim play for what previously was a garbage, inconsequential team for years.
“People will know who I am,” David said to himself, thinking about if the Bucs won. “That’s what I was thinking about.”
When Brady was finished, David said there was “no doubt” the Bucs would win. Brady pushed the perfect button at the perfect time.
David described Brady as an elite teammate.
“From a guy with his status, with his superstar status, you’d think what comes with that, looking at it from the outside looking in, you [might think], ‘This guy’s an a-hole, a prima donna who is an egotistical guy,’ David said. “But he was the complete opposite, bro. He’s a guy’s guy. A great dude. “
Brady would actually sit with teammates and try to get to know them, David said, all the way down to the No. 53 man on the roster.
As for being a leader, David said Brady didn’t have to talk.
The way the team saw how Brady practiced at such a high level — he only wanted to practice against the first-team defense, David said — those actions spoke louder than words.
April 6th, 2026 at 12:11 am
It was a special time in Bucs history!
April 6th, 2026 at 12:18 am
Yeah best thing to ever happen to the Bucs
April 6th, 2026 at 12:28 am
That lost mentality is sorely missed and has left a gaping hole in this franchise.
April 6th, 2026 at 12:57 am
And they were well on their way to a two-peat. And Brady clawed them back from 27-3 down to a tie game with 45 seconds left against the Rams at home.
Then “this guy” 🤡 showed his prowess to the whole world. Couldn’t even get to overtime. Before 3rd and 28, it was CooperKuppGate. Amazing, he was promoted after the latter and not dismissed for the former.
Everything Arians and Brady did to show winning and leadership, the 🤡 has systematically dismantled and expunged from cultural DNA. As if Richard Williamson and Mike Glennon arrived on the scene and took over. A true shame. A true sham.
The silver lining is, the liver can take a beating. So there’s that.
April 6th, 2026 at 1:00 am
Arians left a big hole too.
April 6th, 2026 at 1:01 am
Thanks Joe.
Love these stories from LVD.
April 6th, 2026 at 1:29 am
Bravo to these LVD insights. He might eventually come around his loyalty to discuss the severely flawed “leadership” of the “coaching” the team has suffered through since BA retired.
April 6th, 2026 at 2:42 am
The 🐐, The Man, The Legend. Those 3 years I will cherish forever. Wow how far the franchise has fallen since then…tragic.
April 6th, 2026 at 7:07 am
Agree Badbucs… but still have a bit of resentment re: BA for saddling this franchise with such an inept HC, and only because he knew no other franchise would ever give Todd another HC opportunity (wisely so).
April 6th, 2026 at 9:02 am
The sniping at or about Brady after he left Tampa was petty and ridiculous. The GOAT is a competitive dude and hated losing. I have no problem with any team mate who was like that provided they were not diva nut jobs like AB and Meshawn.
Go Bucs!
April 6th, 2026 at 9:04 am
Wow, LaVonte cannot stop talking now that he is retired. Maybe he should write a book.
April 6th, 2026 at 12:17 pm
3.28.Evans Says:
April 6th, 2026 at 12:57 am
^^^^^^
Your comment about the 🤡 was very well written.
April 6th, 2026 at 12:31 pm
The 🤡 seems to be making excuses for his defense tucking tail and piddling on the floor. I’ll point out that TB12 was the first to quit on the coach. He luxuriated on vacation while his team was in training camp. He also attended a wedding and skipped practice after not traveling with the team before the Steelers game. So if the 🦨 can thumb his nose at the team and HC why can’t Zyon and others do the same ?
April 6th, 2026 at 12:37 pm
I love these stories from David!
April 6th, 2026 at 2:47 pm
thats why you trade for a max crosby this defense needs that not a nose tackle from ohio state or a 25 year old cane
April 6th, 2026 at 2:49 pm
Right on, Sal.
April 6th, 2026 at 4:50 pm
Cleanhouse Says
“Yeah best thing to ever happen to the Bucs.”
First Superbowl was the best thing…but this was #2
April 6th, 2026 at 4:54 pm
Vancouver Buc Says
“The 🐐, The Man, The Legend. Those 3 years I will cherish forever. Wow how far the franchise has fallen since then…tragic.”
Well, to be fair…Brady, Gronk, JPP, SUH…even Shaq.
Those were all the best in the biz. There had to be a dropoff and we all nee it.
But it hasn’t been like the lost decade at least.
April 6th, 2026 at 8:55 pm
No doubt TB 12 was the greatest Quarterback the Buccaneers have ever had. He made so much impact on the team !! But, I also believe that Baker Mayfield is the best selection to follow TB 12. He’s such a fighter and is one of the best in my opinion!! Just look at his stats !!
Tough schedule next season.
If the Bucs win 10 games next season and win the NFC South, that’s a huge accomplishment!!
Go Bucs !! Go Bucs !!
April 6th, 2026 at 10:28 pm
Such an under rated SB win. Covid, no real practise, wild card run to the SB. If it wasn’t Tom Brady it would have been a monumental SB win for any other QB.