The podium was set up. The media had assembled. It was time to meet the new owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and hear what they had in store for the city of Tampa. The door opened and in strode the Bucs Director of Communications. He walked up to the podium and shared the news that everyone was waiting to hear; who the mystery buyer of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was and what that meant for the team.
“Good Afternoon everyone. Welcome to One Buc Place. I know that everyone is anxious to get an update so we’ll jump right in. Everyone has heard that effective yesterday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been sold. We thank the Glazer family for their patronage to the team and to the city and we wish them well in their future endeavors.
For months now, the Glazers have been working quietly with a Tampa Bay native on this transaction. Both parties and the Bucs wanted to do this quietly so there was no disruption or rumors about what may happen with the team. The paperwork has been signed, the money, and quite a lot of it, has been transferred, and it’s official. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a new owner.
He is a native Floridian and has lived in Tampa Bay for the majority of his life. He grew up a Bucs fan and was around for the early days of the creamsicle uniforms and was around for the defensive dynasty of the late 90’s and early 00’s. He’s a lifelong fan of the Bucs, not a former player, not some financial mogul looking to make an investment, he’s a fan who wants to get the Bucs back to the top. There will be plenty of time to get into more of his background later, but without making you wait much longer, allow me to introduce for the first time, the new owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brent Western.”
As the new owner walked up to the podium and shook the Directors hand, the media waited to see what this new owner would bring. Would he be moving the team? Would he be firing all the coaches? Bringing in new players? No one knew what Western might do and were waiting to hear it all straight from him.
“It’s time to bring the defense back to Tampa Bay.” Those were the first words spoken by the new owner as he addressed the media for the first time. “This is a lifelong dream of mine, to be part of a successful NFL team, and it’s even better that it’s my hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now I know there are a lot of questions about my plans for the team so let me address those first. I have zero plans to move the Bucs. I am a Tampa native and know how important the team is to the city. As long as I am the owner, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will always reside here.
Second. I know that with new ownership usually comes change in coaches, personnel, staff and players. I can assure you that everyone’s job is safe and secure through Week 1 of the regular season. There will be no firings, no changes, no demotions this early on in my tenure. I want time to get to know the team from the inside, to see everyone in action behind closed doors and to evaluate. That being said, once the season starts, we will be doing what is best for the team. There are no plans to change anything, but if performance is lacking, if personnel doesn’t fulfill their responsibilities, changes will be made.
And finally, I have asked that all decisions, big and small, whether it’s contracts, free agents, marketing or any other item run through me. I will empower my people to give me guidance and make suggestions, but the buck stops here.
So now, let me give a quick background on myself. You all have heard about me being a fan and I can assure you that I am a loyal Tampa Bay Bucs fan. I remember the good days and the creamsicle days. And nothing would please me more than to bring Tampa Bay another Lombardi Trophy. I am not a former player and I have no special skills that make me a better owner or fan than anyone else. That being said, I expect progress, discipline and effort on every task at hand, on and off the field. I’m a defensive guy and would rather lose 6-3 than 38-35. I fully expect to bring the defense back to Tampa Bay.
I look forward to stepping into Raymond James Stadium as the owner. Thank you for your time and let’s get ready to fire those cannons!”
With that, Western left the stage and disappeared through a side door.
He gave no specifics on marketing, pricing, or any other item, but the media guide that was passed out noted that he would do what was best for the team, no indication if that meant he would be lowering or raising the prices or how he would handle any of that transactional items. While he said he would maintain current GM Jason Licht and Head Coach Dirk Koetter, Western noted that all decisions on the organization had to run through him, effectively making him the coach, GM, janitor, and biggest fan.
The NFL had a surprising new entry into the ownership club and the Tampa Bay Bucs fans could only wonder what this change would bring them.
And with that, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are getting geared up for preseason action with their first game against the Miami Dolphins about a week away. Western is going to use the next few days to sit down with everyone in the organization, and set up game plans, pricing structures, roster maintenance and more, before heading to their first practice.
The time had come to usher in a new era in the NFL and for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers