FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Tom Brady’s decision not to attend the start of voluntary organized team activities Monday is significant because it's a break from his regular routine and has a trickle-down effect on other players.
Last week, Brady’s former teammate, Rob Ninkovich, explained, “If he doesn’t show up for the OTA/minicamp part of it, that’s probably more of an issue because then guys aren’t taking reps [with him]. You’d have Brian Hoyer taking all the first-team reps [at quarterback] and that’s not an ideal situation that you’d want going into training camp.”
Added Matt Chatman, another former teammate, “A guy like Kenny Britt, and a handful of other receivers who would love to spend 3-4 months just throwing with Tom and have a relationship with him .