Gerald McCoy: “I love my team.”

0

The end of the Buccaneers’ season brought on a whirlwind of speculation regarding whether it was McCoy’s last season donning the Buc uniform. Between his comment, “I gave this organization everything I had,” his Instagram post (see here) where he shared a photo of himself and Lavonte David on the field and captioned it with, ‘My brother for life!! Regardless….That’ll never change!!” and Jason Licht’s response to McCoy’s future with the Buccaneers, saying, “We have a lot of tough decisions to make,” it seemed to many as though the 9-year veteran would soon be moving on from Tampa Bay.

Monique Welch of Tampa Bay Times caught up with the six-time Pro Bowler on Monday at Robert W. Saunders Sr. Public Library during one of his many community appearances. He was helping to launch the Florida Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), Read 100 Books in 100 Days challenge. McCoy, with new baby boy Mars in tow, settled right in with the kids and read Dr. Seuss’ I Can Read with My Eyes Shut.

“These kids are really young and may not really remember, but when they see the pictures, they’ll realize that, ‘Hey, this guy took the time out to come read to us,’” McCoy said about the event according to The Tampa Bay Times Article.

He also talked a little about the speculation surrounding his Buccaneers career. When asked about the comment Licht made, McCoy responded, “Those comments you take with a grain of salt and move forward,” adding, “Whether they want me here or not, I know I gave the franchise everything I have and I always do. So if they don’t want me, I can walk out of the building with my head held high.”

McCoy does want to stay in Tampa, though, saying “I love my team and people don’t have the slightest idea how much I love this team and how much I have given this city and this organization, just my time, and all the sacrifices I’ve made outside of just what I get paid to do. It’s more than that for me and it’s stuff people don’t see.”

You can see the full Tampa Bay Times article here.

I, for one, do not want to see McCoy go. I know that’s an unpopular opinion considering the $13 million he would be due unless a negotiation takes place before March. I just cannot see the Buccaneers letting go of an asset like McCoy, not only on the field, but in the community as well. As one of his biggest fans, I would love to see McCoy play out his career in Tampa and retire a Buccaneer, but that’s just my little ol’ opinion, which means very little in the grand scheme of NFL decision-making.

With the new coaching staff coming in and big decisions getting ready to be made, only time will tell what the 2019 season will look like for McCoy. I am optimistic that the recently posted fist bump picture on Twitter of Coach Arians and McCoy (see here) is an indication of good things to come from these two!

Hey, a girl can hope….

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail